Earth-717: X-Men Volume 2
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. Under the leadership of Scott Summers, the X-Men have managed to become a force of justice in the cause for mutants. However, sinister forces in the shadows seek to destroy everything they hold dear. When a mutant assassin targets the team in ways they struggle to counter, the X-Men must uncover the truth, or perish trying.
1. London 1867

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 1: London 1867

Wyndham jumped at the sound of a crack of thunder. Grabbing at his chest, he stared out the window as the rain continued to pour over the dank city view. The repetition of the pattering of the rain striking the ground helped him regulate his breathing.

"Mr. Wyndham?"

Wyndham continued to keep his gaze affixed to the window. After a minute, he finally stopped breathing through his mouth and slowly turned back to the man sitting in front of him. He was draped in a black business suit, and was sitting in elegant, crimson armchair.

The room they were in was extravagantly lavished, with rich, patterned carpets, numerous tables full of worldly trinkets, a lamp lighting the two men and various expensive paintings adorning the walls. The man sitting in front of Wyndham lowered his head and narrowed his eyes as he tried to get his attention.

"Mr. Wyndham?" asked the man. "Are you still with me?"

Wyndham stammered.

"Y-Yes, yes, doctor."

"Don't tell me a little thunderstorm got the better of you. I know it's dark out there, but we're perfectly safe inside."

"I-I know. I know. I just g-get jumpy when I talk about this, this stuff, is all. Yes."

Folding his hands together, the man exhaled. Wyndham adjusted his glasses, tapping his foot against the ground repeatedly the whole time.

"Doctor Daniels?"

"No need to be so formal, Mr. Wyndham. Call me Marcus. I like my patients to look at me as a friend whom they can trust, rather than as a professional therapist."

"Okay. Okay. Marcus. I-I wanted to ask, uhm . . . . would it be a-alright if I had a drink?"

"By all means."

Wyndham took a small flask out of his inside jacket pocket and, his hands shaking, unscrewed the cap with some struggle. Breathing through his teeth, his hand which was holding the flask fiercely vibrated as he tried to bring it to his lips. Guzzling half of the flask's contents, he then stuffed the cap back on and placed the flask back in the pocket. He then put his hands on the armrests and gripped them so tightly that his fingernails began digging into the material.

"Mr. Wyndham," said Marcus, "I want you to start at the beginning. Tell me everything that happened, and be very specific."

"Alright."

Wyndham breathed in and out a few times as he watched the nearby lamp. For a brief second, it appeared to go dimmer, but then regained its light. Gulping, he turned back to Marcus and began to speak.

"I first met Doctor Nathaniel Essex at a scientific convention hosted for Charles Darwin in December of 1859. Professor Darwin had just published his book, _On the Origin of Species_, a month prior. I had heard of Essex, but I had no reason to believe that he was anything more than a well regarded member of the English scientific community . . . . until it was too late."

* * *

Wyndham stood in the hall of the convention centre, amongst various men in high class attire. He then saw Darwin exiting the lecture hall, and hurriedly walked up to him, his hand extended.

"Professor Darwin!"

Darwin smiled and reached out, shaking Wyndham's hand.

"Yes, and who might you be, good sir?"

"Doctor Herbert Wyndham, sir. I too attended Edinburgh. I have to say, _Origin of Species _was a truly fascinating read."

"Well thank you."

"But I wanted to ask you something about it."

Darwin raised an eyebrow.

"How do you feel about potential backlash from proponents of the Church? Surely your theories contradict many of the teachings of God."

"Well, I don't necessarily believe that science and religion have to . . . ."

"The people who would refer to God's book over Professor Darwin's work are fools."

Darwin and Wyndham turned to look at the man who interrupted them. He was wearing a blue and black pinstripe suit, and walked up to them with his hands behind his back. His head was almost unerringly square-like; his strong bone structure and supporting facial flesh indicating a healthy specimen. What contradicted all this were his eyes; they were the eyes of a predator, and Wyndham felt that they conveyed an implacable sense of hunger, as if they were surveying everything they gazed upon with the desire only to consume.

"And you are?" asked Darwin.

"Doctor Nathaniel Essex," answered Essex, who bowed. "Truly a pleasure to finally meet the great Charles Darwin face to face."

"Thank you," said Darwin, without smiling.

"You are not a God fearing man, I take it?" asked Wyndham.

"Well, since there is no evidence in favour of God's existence, I, as a man of science, must defer to the next best thing: man. And as a man, and therefore, the greatest being whose existence can indeed be proven, what have I to fear?"

Darwin narrowed his eyes. Essex chuckled.

"And who might you be?" asked Essex.

"Doctor Herbert Wyndham."

"Wyndham!" exclaimed Essex. "Yes, I thought I recognized you. I read some of your work from Edinburgh. Not bad. Not bad at all. However, I have to say that the section of your dissertation on ethics was rather dull in comparison to the rest of it."

Darwin coughed.

"Yes, well, to go back to your question, Doctor Wyndham, I see no reason that science and religion cannot peacefully co-exist. Just because my theories on the evolution of species does not necessarily work in tandem with strictly literal interpretations of the Lord's book, does not disprove his existence. Truly, science should be the equalizer between all faiths. Whether a man be a Catholic, a Protestant, a Hebrew or an atheist, I believe that science can be the tie that binds them all."

"Noble sentiments, Professor," started Essex, "but certainly not ones that will be shared by all. I can think of many organizations who will view your great work as an attack on the foundation of their beliefs. Those that see mankind as creatures created in God's image will certainly view the idea of evolution as heresy."

"I would rather be called a heretic than lie in the face of scientific evidence."

"My thoughts exactly, Professor."

* * *

"I met with Essex, Darwin and other members of the Royal Society on a regular basis after that," explained Wyndham. "Many scientists and intellectuals came to our lectures and seminars from all over the Queen's Kingdom to confer and study our work. While Darwin continued to speak of the gradual effects of evolution that took place over millions of years, Essex was much more interested in the changes made in a single generation."

His face resting against one hand, Marcus rubbed his chin.

"And what were his colleagues views of his work?" asked Marcus.

"Not very appreciative, I'll say that," responded Wyndham. "Some thought him mad; others, misguided. While at first he and Darwin were amicable, their conversations grew increasingly hostile due to Essex's insistence on a hidden marker in human genetics that he dubbed the 'X-Factor'."

"X-Factor?"

Wyndham slowed down his breathing as he continued to speak. The lamp seemed to become dim for a second once more, but then again reverted to its fully lit form.

"Yes. He wrote about it in a paper that was scoffed at by the Royal Society. No one else was able to find any evidence of this X-Factor, and the concept of such drastic changes in genetics within the span of a single generation proved to be the point where many stopped taking him seriously."

The two men were silent for a full minute before Wyndham resumed speaking.

"Over time, he turned bitter and angry for the rejection of his theories. He became a recluse, holed up in his manor with his wife, Rebecca. Rumours began to circulate about unspeakable experiments going on there . . . . monstrous sins against nature and humanity. Rebecca would still leave the estate and visit London on occasion, but she almost never spoke, and had a look in her eyes as if she had seen the torture of ghosts long since dead."

"But being a recluse is not necessarily a crime, Mr. Wyndham," said Marcus. "What led you to the point of contacting the police?"

Wyndham gulped as droplets of sweat shivered down his temples.

"Last year, people in London started gossiping about disappearances. Nobody knew for sure, but some blamed Essex. Said that he was kidnapping people and taking them back to his laboratory for some sort of barbaric genetic experiments; to extract the X-Factor from their cells. I needed to know if the rumours were true, so I followed Rebecca home one night, and hid in the back of the estate."

The lamp seemed to dim for a brief second once more.

"What happened?"

"I h-heard it," replied Wyndham.

"It?"

"The screams."

Wyndham's breathing began to speed up again. Marcus put up a hand.

"Relax, Mr. Wyndham. Try to focus on your breathing."

Wyndham nodded several times, and stopped hyperventilating. He then continued his story.

"Those horrible screams . . . . the wailing of the damned, I'll tell you. Cries of someone, or something, suffering a misery far worse than death. Then, I saw him."

"Essex?"

"Yes. Through the window. At first I thought he might have been someone else, some sort of ghost, but no, no, no, it was him, alright. But, s-something was d-different about him. His skin was pale as powder dust, and he had a, I don't know what, m-maybe a tattoo or something, some sort of diamond on his forehead. But worst of all were his eyes. Oh Lord, his eyes."

Wyndham gulped again, his entire body shivering in his seat.

"Pure red. No pupils . . . . no humanity. Just red. Undying red."

* * *

The door to Essex Manor burst open, wood chips landing all over the floor of the lobby. Several police officers ran into the room, quickly surveying the space. Once it had been determined to be empty, Captain Gallows and Wyndham walked in.

"Essex?!" shouted Gallows. "Essex! Are you here?"

No response was heard. Gallows looked at Wyndham with a raised eyebrow. Everyone's head then snapped up at the sound of a shrill, female howl.

"It's coming from downstairs!" yelled one of the officers.

The officers and Wyndham marched down the stairs into the basement of the manor. Reaching a double door, the first officer kicked it down, and they walked into the room. The room itself was a large, stone laboratory, with only three small windows near the ceiling, affixed to the outside ground level. All sort of chemical vials and containers were liberally spread across the shelves and tables, as well as equipment such as microscopes and specimen jars.

Wyndham gasped upon seeing a jar filled with a murky, yellow-green liquid, which contained the corpse of a small baby. The baby had tears and gashes all over its flesh.

"What in heaven's name happened here?" asked Gallows.

"Captain!" yelled one of the officers. "You'll want to see this, sir."

Gallows, Wyndham and the other officers crowded around the far end of the room. A two metre tall, cylindrical, vertical yellow tank was stuffed in the back corner. The front end was made of a thick, transparent plastic. Through the plastic, the upright, unconscious form of a woman could be seen.

"That's Mrs. Essex!" exclaimed Wyndham.

"He did this to his own wife?" asked Gallows.

The other officers started to chatter.

"Is she still alive?"

"This is a bloody disaster."

"Let's get out of here!"

"Quiet!" commanded Gallows, as he took a step towards the tank. "Maybe we can get her out . . . ."

Gallows was interrupted by Rebecca opening her eyes. She let out the same shrill cry that they heard before, and the officers stood back in surprise. She then started to claw at the inside of the tank, with abject fear in her eyes.

"Get her out of there!" shouted Wyndham.

Gallows and the officers tried to grab at the tank and pull it open, to no avail. Rebecca continued to scream as a foggy, yellow mist started to fill up the air in the tank from the ground up.

"GET ME OUT! GET ME OUUUUUUUUT!"

Gallows grabbed a metal box off of a nearby counter and ran to the side of the tank. Seeing a padlock on the lever mechanism, he began smashing it with the box repeatedly, trying to bust it open. After four attacks, he overexerted himself, slipping after hitting the padlock, and slamming his head against the tank.

Wyndham's eyes widened as he watched the yellow mist reach the top of the tank. Rebecca continued to pound her fists against the tank in desperation as her skin started to melt. She let out one last wail before she was reduced to a mushy humanoid form, gargling on her own melting flesh. Within thirty seconds, she was nothing but a puddle of biomass pooling at the bottom of the tank.

* * *

"Captain Gallows and the other officers secured the premises, but there was no sign of Essex. He had packed up his notes and a handful of belongings, running off before I could return with the police. The Captain told me I should seek the help of a therapist, and one of the officers recommended you. They said I had to . . . . t-talk to someone, you know, to help me get over the nightmares."

Wyndham sighed.

"I have no idea where he went or what he's planning, but I'm telling you sir, he is the worst of men. A monster hiding in the skin of a man. Whatever he's doing . . . . it's sinister."

"Sinister?" said an unknown voice in the room, with a raspy quality. "I like that."

Marcus sat still. Wyndham gasped.

"Who said that?!"

"Oh how disappointing, Mr. Wyndham," said the voice. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your old colleague . . . ."

Essex stepped out of the shadows.

". . . . Nathaniel Essex."

Wyndham's jaw dropped in terror as Essex walked forward. Marcus grinned as Essex placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'd like you to meet a subject of mine," said Essex. "Marcus Daniels, but he prefers another name."

Marcus flexed his left hand, a small orb of black mist appeared in his palm.

"Blackout."

"Y-you . . . . you . . . ."

Marcus squeezed his left hand into a fist, and the lamp went out completely. Essex laughed to himself and walked towards Wyndham, who curled up in the chair, paralysed by fear.

"I had to know everything that you knew, Mr. Wyndham. Now that that's done, I believe you know what comes next."

"Stay away from me, Essex!"

Essex frowned for a moment.

"Don't call me that. I have a new name that I prefer."

Wyndham whimpered. Essex's face returned to a malevolent grin.

"Mister Sinister."

Wyndham screamed as Sinister reached for his face. The sound of his cry was drowned out by another crack of thunder.


	2. Consummation

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 2: Consummation

"Again."

"Mini-Sentinel combat training," said Moira over the loudspeaker.

The simulation constructs formed all around Scott, who was standing in the centre of the Danger Room. A three-dimensional grid of blue, glowing energy draped across the space, and began filling in the details of the simulated battlefield. Five Mini-Sentinels, about half a metre taller than Scott, were strewn across the field, all facing him.

Scott closed his eyes momentarily and inhaled.

"Start!"

The Mini-Sentinels fired optical lasers at Scott, who had already dashed forward and rolled towards a piece of concrete debris. Using it as cover, he fired an optical blast of his own at the farthest Mini-Sentinel, blowing a hole through its chest piece. In retaliation, the Mini-Sentinel closest to it fired a wrist rocket.

Glaring, Scott dodged to the right at the last second, causing a Mini-Sentinel about to attack him from behind to get hit by the rocket. Flipping backwards, he grabbed the remains of the now destroyed Mini-Sentinel and put it in front of him, using it as a shield to absorb optical blasts from two more Mini-Sentinels.

Kicking out its feet, he rushed forward and jumped, holding his fist back. Throwing it forward with the momentum of his leap, he punched out a third Mini-Sentinel before spinning around and landing a roundhouse kick on the head of a fourth. The Mini-Sentinel recovered and tried to grab at him, but he ducked under the arm and unleashed a five hit punching combo on its torso, ripping apart its innards.

Pushing it out of the way, he then fired an optical blast at the last Mini-Sentinel, which also fired one at the same time. The two laser blasts connected, cancelling each other out. Scott quickly fired another at the leg of the Mini-Sentinel, blowing it apart. Stunned, it was then shredded by another quick optical blast from Scott's visor.

"All Mini-Sentinels defeated," said Moira. "Mark."

As the construct field dissipated, showing the empty, metallic, spherical room, Scott exhaled and stretched out his arms in several positions. His muscles, which he had been developing over the past year since joining the Institute, rippled under his uniform bodysuit. While he was still fairly thin, his body was lean and toned due to his vehemently structured workout regimen.

"Time?"

"Fifty-four seconds," answered Moira. "Again."

"Dammit."

Scott looked up to the window near the top of the Danger Room. Moira was on the other side, sitting in the command room. She was sitting back in her rolling chair, looking at the data on the combat terminal computer screen. She was wearing a blue blouse and beige jeans, and had a pink hairband on her head. Her right hand was pressed against her face, and her left was twiddling an orange pen.

Moira sighed before speaking.

"I think it's time for a rest, Scott. You've been hitting the same time over and over."

"No. Again."

"Really, Scott?"

Scott quickly turned around at the sound of Jean's voice. She walked into the Danger Room, wearing a tank top and jeans. Her hair was just as lush as ever, and she had small, silver 'X' earrings hanging from both ears. She stopped a few metres away from Scott.

"Don't you train enough?"

Scott took a moment before responding.

"You should be training with me."

Jean put on an unimpressed face.

"The whole team trained with you for six hours yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. We kind of wanted a break."

Scott shook his head. He then began to punch and kick the air while in place.

"I can't work like that," started Scott. "I need to stay prepared. The next time we have to face Sentinels, or another deranged, crazy mutant, you'll be thanking me for all this training. We need to be able to control the battlefield, and we can only do that by forcing ourselves to be better."

Jean sighed and walked closer to Scott. When she reached him, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and he stopped moving.

"You can't control everything," said Jean. "What happens when you think you've got command of a situation, and then something takes you by complete surprise? You can't plan for every possibility."

"Well, if I can't plan for it, then what should I do?"

"Trust us."

Scott inhaled and stared into Jean's eyes. After several moments, he exhaled and nodded, looking at the ground. Jean smiled.

"Besides, mister, you completely forgot about our date tonight."

Scott perked his head up.

"Uh, er . . . ."

"Said you would take me to the city? Do something different for a change? Hmmm? Or did all your hard and fast training empty your memory banks?"

"I'll, er, meet you in the lobby in ten."

* * *

Out of his uniform and now in casual clothes, Scott walked down the halls of the mansion towards the lobby. His hands in his pockets, he had to see everything in the world through the lens of his red-tinted sunglasses. Looking into the recreation room as he passed it, he saw Bobby and Hank playing a game of fuse-ball while Piotr was laying on the couch, drawing with a pencil in his sketchbook.

Scott looked away from them and continued walking down the hall without speaking. He arrived in the lobby, stepping across the giant X on the floor. Jean was standing at the double doors, smiling. As he was about to reach her, he heard a voice coming from both behind and above him.

"Scott."

Scott turned around and looked up to see Xavier sitting in his wheelchair on the balcony overlooking the lobby. He had his hands folded on his lap.

"Don't worry Professor, we'll be back by . . . ."

"I just wanted to tell you to have fun," interrupted Xavier.

Xavier smiled. Scott stared at him for a few seconds.

"Thanks."

Xavier nodded. Jean opened the door.

_"And treat her well."_

Scott nodded.

_"I will."_

Scott turned to face Jean, and the two exited the house, closing the double doors behind them. Xavier exhaled and leaned back against his wheelchair. After a minute, Moira walked up next to him.

"They leave?"

"Yes."

Moira sighed and folded her arms.

"I dunno about you, Charles, but I really think there's a void in the soul of that boy. Like he's lost a part of himself that he's never gotten back."

"I know. All too well."

"All he does is work and train, but I never see him get any joy out of it. It's just an endless cycle with him. I can't even remember the last time I saw him smile. I hope she can help him. A boy his age shouldn't be that jaded."

Xavier exhaled.

"Whether one is an idealist or a cynic, we rarely have the chance to choose that for ourselves. Circumstance plays a larger role in that than most care to admit."

Moira raised an eyebrow.

"You don't really believe that?! What about what you told to Erik?"

"Erik's had a harder life than I," said Xavier. "And just because one is a cynic does not mean that they are not accountable for choosing between right and wrong."

Xavier frowned and shook his head.

"I need some time alone in my study. Tell the others that I'm not to be disturbed."

Moira was silent for a few moments before nodding.

"Alright."

Xavier turned away from Moira, sighing. He then rolled away from her. She watched him the whole time, with a growing frown. As he rolled into his private study, he closed the door behind him. For several minutes, Moira silently watched the door. What she could not see, was that the entire time she was staring, Xavier had his face in his hands.

* * *

"And at the ninth hole, he just froze it over so there was no chance."

Jean laughed as she finished speaking, and Scott let out a halfhearted one himself. She held in a sigh as they continued to walk down the street, towards the Boston University Bridge. Scott's hands were once again in his pockets. Steeling herself, Jean reached out and linked her arm around his elbow, startling him.

"Come on," said Jean. "I want to try something."

Jean tugged at Scott's arm, beckoning him to follow her to the bridge.

"What would that be?"

"You'll see. Come on."

"Okay."

Jean and Scott walked up the bridge, arm in arm. When they reached the middle, Jean placed her hands over the railing, looking out at the Charles River. Scott stood next to her, and, unknown to her, spent a few seconds gazing at her hair.

"You know that problem I told you about?" asked Jean. "The one I've been having since that day?"

"I remember."

"I was thinking about it again. I've played it over and over again in my mind, but . . . . I just can't figure it out, you know?."

"I know what that's like. When you're trying to, like, figure something out, and then just . . . . I don't know . . . ."

"Yeah."

Scott put himself in the same position that she was, his hands over the railing. She glanced at him quickly before speaking again.

"You were watching me when it happened. Could you make sense of it?"

Scott inhaled and did not respond for at least half a minute.

"No. No, I couldn't."

Jean looked at him again and frowned as he stared out at the river. Closing her eyes, she turned her head forward, before widening them in surprise upon hearing him speak.

"Did you feel anything?"

"What?"

"When it exploded, I mean," said Scott, "Did you feel anything?"

It was Jean who now took some time before responding.

"I don't think so. I mean, before, when I was going up, I could feel so much at once. So many emotions running through my head. Anger. Anguish. Fear. But most of all, I think . . . . I was sad. I thought for sure that there was going to be nothing more. Then, it went all white, and the next thing I know, I wake up and I see . . . ."

Jean and Scott looked at each other. For a long while, they lost track of time and simply stared. Scott then reached his head forward, and nuzzled his face against hers. Their eyes closed, they rubbed their cheeks together before Jean finally planted a quick kiss on his lips. Opening her eyes, she smiled and looked forward again, seemingly rejuvenated.

"I want to try it."

Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"What changed?"

"You're here."

Jean stepped up onto one of the railing's columns, standing as tall as she could. Closing her eyes, she spread her arms out laterally. Scott clambered onto the column with her, and the small size of the platform they were standing on forced their bodies together. Their breathing quickly became synchronized as Scott's chest pressed against Jean's back.

Scott put his arms forward, grasping at Jean's hips. She let out the lightest of moans at his touch. Taking a few more seconds to breathe, she then put her left foot forward, hanging it over the air, dozens of metres above the water. Opening her eyes, she looked down and let out a small gasp. She then began breathing faster, and Scott responded by placing his head on her shoulder.

"I've got you," he whispered.

Jean leaned her head against his for a few seconds, closing her eyes again. She then stepped out with her right leg. With both of her feet in the air, she breathed in one last time.

"Let go."

Scott released his hold on Jean's hips. Cautiously pulling his hands back, he let his mouth hang open upon seeing that she was floating in the air. After several seconds of levitation, Jean opened her eyes and looked down. Grinning to herself, she then shouted with glee and did an aerial somersault. She turned back and looked at Scott.

For the first time all day, he was smiling.

* * *

Later that night, Jean and Scott were together in her room, laying on the bed. They were both in their underwear, and were on their sides, facing each other. For a long time, they just stayed still, holding hands.

"I'm sorry," said Scott.

Jean opened her eyes.

"For what?"

"Being so . . . . distant."

Jean weakly smiled.

"It's okay."

"No, I, ugh."

"What is it?"

"I mean, you've been so . . . . I don't know how to say this."

"You don't have to."

"No, I do. You've been so good to me, and I've just brushed you off too much. You, you don't deserve that."

"Maybe not, but I know you need your space. You don't deserve to feel overburdened, either. Different people need different things. I get it."

"Not tonight."

Scott pushed himself closer to Jean, grabbing the back of her head.

"Tonight . . . . tonight, I want to share."

"Scott . . . ."

Jean looked down for a few seconds before looking back at him.

"Last time we talked about this, you said you weren't ready. That we weren't ready."

"I know. I've never let someone get this close."

"Me neither."

"But I trust you. I'm ready now. I know that . . . . I know that I'm not good at telling you how I feel. I think I'd rather show you."

Scott pulled Jean in for a kiss as she began pulling off her bra.


	3. Aerial Aid

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 3: Aerial Aid

Sitting on a rocking chair on the porch of his house, a middle-aged man plucked the strings of his ukelele. Nodding to the rhythm of his music, he also began humming the tune as he continued to play. The creases of his skin seemed to soften as the song went on, as if each note helped to heal the visual effects of his age.

Next to him, on another rocking chair, was his brother, who tapped his feet to the music coming from the ukelele. His eyes closed, he then began to let out a soft whistle, complimenting the sound of his brother playing. As they continued to perform for themselves, they failed to notice a dark cloud forming in the sky.

The porch of their house was parallel to the shoreline. To the right, the beach could be seen, with miniscule waves gently massaging the beds of sand. To the left were the jungle-covered mountains, which lead into the mainland. Dozens of houses and boats surrounded their house, forming the town.

As the thunder cloud formation above them grew, it took the form of a circular whirlpool, slowly spinning and gaining size. It was almost uniform in its darkness and levelling, overshadowing the entire town. The two men finally looked up, with curious gazes.

"That doesn't look like any thunder cloud I've ever seen."

As they were distracted by the unusual weather, a trail of shadowy, black mist raced over the pinnacle of one of the forested mountains. Its movement suggested a dark force, spiralling and travelling with the velocity of a missile.

"It looks like it's night out here, but it's not even noon!"

The black mist washed itself over the edge of the town, depositing several, humanoid creatures. Each one had rugged, cracked, grey skin, with plenty of visible veins. They were hunched over, with filthy claws on both their hands and feet. Wearing tattered and torn black clothing, they hissed and snarled at their surroundings. Their eyes were a sickly, bloodshot yellow, and their fangs oozed with curdled blood and foamy saliva.

As they charged forward, they mostly seemed to run on all fours, although sometimes would haphazardly try to run on just their back legs. A loud scream was heard as they reached the house closest to the edge of the town. The two brothers jerked their head to look forward, seeing the creatures in the distance.

"Vampires!"

The man with the ukelele turned to his brother.

"Go, now! Warn Colonel Shetani. The townspeople won't last long!"

Hyperventilating, the brother nodded and ran off. The man then put his ukelele on the ground and went inside the house. After a few seconds, he came back outside, with a lupara, sawed-off shotgun. Steeling his face and gripping his weapon with both hands, he watched for a moment as the vampires began tearing through the town, attacking the civilians.

One of the vampires, hissing and shaking its head back and forth, stopped and looked at him. After they stared at each other for a couple of seconds, it began running towards him, snarling. Taking aim, he waited until it was a few metres away before firing both barrels, blowing apart the torso and head section of its body. Instead of leaving blood, the destroyed segments evaporated into black mist, which quickly dissipated.

Breaking the back of his shotgun with the hinge and exposing the breech, he quickly loaded two more shells into it before snapping it back into place. Cocking the gun, he then began cautiously walking forward.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Xavier stared up at the ceiling fan above him as it spun. Yawning, he then pushed himself into an upright sitting position. He was wearing a grey shirt and pyjama pants, and began stretching out his arms. Moira, who was sitting next to him on the bed, was wearing a t-shirt and reading a book, her bare legs outstretched. She closed it and looked over at him.

"You're up early."

"I am?"

Moira nodded, putting her book down on her lap.

"It's five in the morning, Charles."

Charles grinned.

"Well, if I'm up early, then so are you."

Moira giggled.

"I'm not up early. I'm up late."

The two shared a laugh. Xavier then smiled at her.

"No sleep for you last night?"

Moira waved the book at him.

"Nah. You know me. When I get lost, I get lost."

Xavier pushed his legs off the bed and towards his wheelchair, which was sitting right next to it. Moira widened her eyes and quickly got up, running around the bed to help him.

"It's okay, I don't need . . . ."

"It's not about you needing help," interrupted Moira. "It's about me wanting to help."

Xavier nodded, and allowed Moira to place him in his wheelchair. A while later, after the two of them were fully dressed, Moira rolled Xavier into his study. As she did so, he yelped in pain and grabbed at his forehead.

"Charles? Charles!"

"Ugh."

"What is it?!"

Xavier shook his head and rolled forward, reaching out at his desk. Yanking one of the drawers open, he put his hand inside it and pulled out a small transceiver. It had a flashing red light on it. His eyes wide, Xavier activated the transceiver.

The voice of a young woman came through it.

"Professor Xavier! Professor Xavier! Can you hear me?!"

"Yes, Ororo, I hear you."

"Hurry, Professor! It's an emergency!"

"What kind of emergency? What's happening?!"

"Black magic, Professor! I can't stop it on my own! We're under attack by someone who wields the power of the dark arts! They've summoned vampires, Professor! Please hurry! Plea . . . ."

Ororo's voice cut out.

"Ororo? Ororo!"

Xavier could only hear static. Moira realized that she was holding her breath.

"Charles . . . . who was that?"

Xavier took a few seconds before responding.

"Gather the team," ordered Xavier. "We're leaving. Now."

* * *

Opening his door, Bobby, in his ice form, yawned. Smacking his lips together a few times, he reverted to human form, revealing his pyjamas underneath. Scratching his forehead, he then saw the door across the hall, which lead to Jean's room, open. Both Jean and Scott stepped out of it. Widening his eyes, Bobby stared at the two of them for a moment.

Scott looked at Bobby.

"Come on, Bobby," ordered Scott. "To the hangar."

Scott and Jean took off down the hall, running towards the lobby. Standing still, Bobby watched them from behind. He sullenly frowned and looked at the carpet on the floor for a few moments before turning into his ice form and skating down the hall after them. Leaping over the bannister hanging above the lobby, Bobby landed on the X in the middle of the foyer. Scott, Jean, Hank and Piotr were already standing on it.

"Activate," said Hank.

The elevator began lowering into the hangar. Piotr stretched out his arms. Scott and Jean stood still, but were holding hands behind Jean's back. Bobby noticed this and inhaled, but did not speak. Hank, his arms folded, narrowed his eyes upon noting where Bobby's gaze was. As the elevator reached the hangar, the team could see Xavier in his wheelchair, waiting at the ramp of the X-Jet.

The team rushed up to him.

"You activated the emergency alarm, Professor," said Hank. "What is happening?"

Xavier folded his hands.

"There is little time to explain now. We must move, immediately. We are needed on an urgent matter, with innocent lives at stake. Board the jet and get in your uniforms; I'll explain once we're in the air."

Scott nodded.

"Alright, you heard him. Suit up!"

As the rest of the team ran up the ramp and headed for the uniform locker, Hank jumped over them and ran for the pilot's seat. Xavier pushed his control stick, and rolled up the ramp. Grabbing his blue and yellow jacket off the pilot's seat, Hank threw it on and sat down. Closing the ramp behind Xavier, he then began to activate the jet.

As Jean pulled her uniform on, she looked at Xavier.

"Where's Moira?"

Moira's face appeared on one of the screens on the jet's dashboard.

"I'm in the Command Room. Charles asked me to stay behind so that I could run intel for you lot and watch over the mansion while you're away."

Jean nodded as she sat down. After finishing putting on his own suit, Scott looked up and down her slender form, which was mostly visible due to the near skin-tight nature of her green and gold bodysuit. She turned her head to look at him and grinned as he sat down in the seat next to her. They did not have to say anything to each other; Jean's gentle, telepathic caress of Scott's psyche was all that was required.

Bobby took the seat behind Jean, and Piotr sat next to him, behind Scott. Xavier rolled forward, stopping beside Hank's pilot seat. Bobby folded his arms and scowled. Piotr looked at him with a concerned face.

"Something bothering you?"

Bobby nodded, and then gestured for Piotr to lean his head towards him. Bobby began speaking into his ear.

"Those two getting so cozy," whispered Bobby. "I know it's kind of petty, but . . . ."

"I understand," replied Piotr. "Judy."

Bobby sighed.

"Yeah."

"I would say to not worry about it, but I know that won't help. You will find someone else; I know it. I mean, unlike Hank and I, you can go back to looking like a regular person, you know? Me?"

Piotr tapped his temple twice with his fist, making a soft clanking noise.

"Metal forever."

Bobby weakly smiled and exhaled, shaking his head. Hank started to take off, as the opening to the hangar opened.

"Where are we going?" asked Hank.

"Uploading co-ordinates to the X-Jet now," responded Moira. "Quite a trek."

Hank raised an eyebrow as the data appeared on the screen before him.

"Town of Kilifi . . . . in Kenya?"

"Get us in the air, Hank," commanded Xavier.

Hank nodded and pushed the throttle forward. The jet blasted out of the hangar and into the sky. Xavier then turned around to face the team while Hank continued to fly the jet.

"Why are we going to Kenya, Professor?" asked Scott.

"To help a friend of mine. Her name is Ororo Munroe. Like us, she is a mutant. I met her some years ago when I was visiting Africa, and helped her out of a dangerous situation. It seems that another has befallen her, but this time, it is even more dire."

Jean narrowed her eyes as she listened to Xavier.

"Her town is under siege by an unknown enemy who wields dark magic."

"Dark magic?!" exclaimed Hank.

"Yes. An ancient line of sorcery that has its roots in necromancy," explained Xavier. "If you did not believe in such things before now, know that I have encountered such evil before, and it is very real. Whoever this person is that is attacking Ororo's people, they have summoned an army of vampires to aid in their assault."

Bobby rubbed his forehead.

"Vampires? Like, vampire vampires? Oh, great, great."

"I think I saw this on television last night," said Piotr.

"Not exactly what I was thinking we would run into today," said Jean.

"They are not regular human beings, or even mutants," continued Xavier. "They are neither living or dead; supernatural abominations who exist solely to feed and destroy. They are not like anything you have ever faced before. All of your training these past nine months will be crucial to your success. They will show you no mercy, but fear not, for I have faith in you, my X-Men."

Bobby nervously laughed.

"Yeah, sure, but I'm not sure if I have that much faith in us."

Scott turned to look at Bobby.

"Stow that talk, Iceman. We have a mission to do, and there's no room for self doubt. You hear me?"

Bobby scowled for a moment, but then nodded.

"Good."

Moira's face on the video screen looked down and then back up at Hank.

"Hank?"

"Yes?"

"I've got some new information for you. Looks like a local militia led by a Colonel Shetani are engaging the vampires in the town. They're holding out for now, but they'll need your help if they're going to last much longer."

"Power and speed be hands and feet," replied Hank. "Ralph Waldo Emerson."

Hank engaged the boost thrusters at full power, sending the X-Jet rocketing across the ocean.


	4. The Sapphire Weapon

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 4: The Sapphire Weapon

A chill, February morning breeze filled the atmosphere of Boston. It seeped into the orifices of the walls; it snaked and slithered inside of every crack in the ground. An almost eerie cry in the wind whispered, its sound waves echoing as silently as they could through the streets of the great city. The pedestrians on the street walked by as if they couldn't notice it.

One did.

On a highway overpass, near the edge of the railing where there was no sidewalk, a lone man pressed forward, cutting through the thick noise of the breeze. Each step was an arduous quest; a victory in a war against the oppression of his surroundings. While he had a brown leather jacket with a hood over his head, it did little to quell the pain roaring and rampaging across his ghostly skin. He was sweating and freezing at the same time.

A sedan raced past him, the driver honking his horn as it did so. The man paid it no mind, refusing to break free of his internal thought cycle. Keeping his head facing the ground and his hands in his pockets, he made it nearly impossible for anyone to get a good look at his face. Another car drove by, with no attempt at interaction. The man was in one way, satisfied, but in another, ambivalent.

Attuned to the air around him, the man felt a break in it. Looking up into the sky, he saw a black jet flying away from the city, into the horizon. Keeping his eyes trained on it for several seconds, he pondered it in his mind. He did not know that it was a modified SR-71 Blackbird, but he also didn't care. Once it was out of his visual range, he discarded it from his thoughts.

Looking to his right, the man saw the street running underneath the overpass. It led into the heart of the city's business district, with a dozen skyscrapers in close proximity. The man stopped, narrowing his eyes. Scanning the street name on the sign of the stoplights, he then stopped and faced it. His blue heads-up display then activated within his visor.

While no one else could see it, the man was covered completely in a black bodysuit with synthetic implants. Modular, lightweight polymer armour lined the limbs, chest and back pieces. His face was hidden behind the mask section, which had no discernible features aside from a glowing, cyan visor. It was thin and rectangular, aside from the middle, which slanted downwards in an upside down triangle shape.

Breathing in, the man could hear the raspy voice begin speaking into his earpiece.

"Sapphire Weapon. This is the Master. Where are you?"

The Weapon breathed in before responding.

"En place."

"I am feeding mission relevant data to your heads-up display now."

The Weapon watched as several panels opened in front of his eyes, showing pictures, documents and data streams. He silently moved his eyes from one panel to the next, absorbing the information.

"Your target's name is Senator Robert Kelly," explained the Master. "Our informant within his organization has fed us data about his itinerary for the day. Within the next few minutes, his limousine will pass under you. Collateral damage is not a concern. The rest of the mission data is in the files I have sent you."

The Weapon did not respond, continuing to read. He then glanced at the image of Kelly on the left side of the heads-up display. He was a middle-aged, white man, in a suit and tie. He appeared to be exhausted, as if he was barely keeping himself going. A look of fear was in his eyes.

Exhaling, the Weapon closed the data panels and kept his eyes on the road ahead of him. Pulling his hands out of his jacket's pockets, he flexed and stretched his palms, before curling them into fists. Each wrist was affixed with a miniature gauntlet, composed of three thin tube rings strapped to a piece of solid metal. The tube rings were connected to a wire of tubing that ran through the bodysuit, but was mostly protected and covered by the polymer armour.

After four minutes, the Weapon narrowed his eyes upon seeing a couple of police cruisers turn the corner behind the stoplights that he was watching. Another officer on a motorcycle followed, along with a a limousine with two United States flags attached to the front end. A SWAT truck brought up the rear of the convoy.

Inside of the limousine, Kelly tapped his hand against his knee. He then overheard a voice speaking on the police radio.

"All units, be advised; we have an apparent alert on the East Side. Repeat, East Side. We've got confirmed orders for all city units not on special assignment to head out there now, over."

Kelly looked over at the agent sitting next to him.

"That's not us, right?"

The agent shook his head.

"No, sir," answered the agent. "The squad cars covering us are considered under special assignment. Don't worry, Senator."

"Okay."

Kelly nodded and looked forward again, his breathing at an elevated rate.

Zooming in with the targeting reticule built into his visor, the Weapon confirmed the license plate on the front end. He then opened the communications channel.

"La cible est dans un convoi surveillé," said the Weapon.

The voice of the Master on the other end chuckled.

"Excellent. Right on schedule. Execute your orders."

"Entendue."

The Weapon closed the communications channel and let in a deep breath. Upon exhaling, he felt adrenaline fill himself up, drowning out the numbing sound of the wind. He quickly tossed off his leather jacket, revealing his full bodysuit. Despite being comprised of armour, the tube network and synthetic implants, the suit itself was nearly skintight, allowing for a free range of movement. Activating the agility servos, the Weapon spun his body around and held his arms tight against his chest as he launched himself into the air, over the railing of the overpass.

As the convoy passed through the intersection, the officer driving the squad car at the front end raised her eyebrow upon seeing the Weapon land in a three point pose on the street ahead of them, cracking the pavement as he did so.

"What the fuck?"

The Weapon quickly stood up and held out his right arm. His hand in a fist, his wrist gauntlet glowed with blue energy for a second. It then fired a focused beam of blue-white light, which connected with the front end of the police car. Vaporizing the front bumper and part of the engine, the remains of the vehicle catapulted into the air. Flipping and soaring over the Weapon, the car cleared his head by at least two metres before landing upside down behind him and skating down the street for several more metres.

The Weapon took a second to look back at the car before facing forward. The other vehicles in the convoy slammed on their brakes, and the officer driving the second vehicle haphazardly grabbed his radio.

"All units!" shouted the officer. "We are under attack! Repeat, under attack! Convoy One is down! Priority red!"

A voice responded over the radio.

"Keeping package secure. Engage and eliminate threat."

Inside the limousine, Kelly began to dart his head back and forth.

"What, what's happening?!"

The agent sitting next to him pushed him down against the seats.

"Stay down, Senator!"

The Weapon began walking away from the flaming carcass of the first police car, slowly and calmly approaching the stopped convoy. Two officers left the second car, and a third got off her motorcycle. The three officers took cover and trained their aim on the Weapon.

"Stay back!"

The Weapon kept walking forward, offering no response.

"Open fire!"

The officers unloaded several bullets at the Weapon, but they were deflected by his armour. Stopping his advance and tilting his head to the side, the Weapon then charged forward. Moving at incredible speed, he crossed the two dozen metres to the officers in less than a second. He quickly smashed the first officer's head against the edge of the car door, splitting it open, causing his brain matter to begin leaking onto the road.

The Weapon then burst forward again, punching the motorcycle officer across the face. The speed of the strike sent her flying backwards, where she crashed against a building wall, her bones all broken before she even did so. The last officer screamed and unloaded the rest of his clip at the Weapon, who just sprinted towards him and grabbed his arm. Slamming his wrist down on the officer's elbow, snapping it, he then yanked on it with great force, boosted by the synthetic implants, ripping the arm right out of his socket. The officer collapsed in shock, and the Weapon tossed the bloodied appendage to the ground in disgust.

The limousine driver widened her eyes in fear and began to reverse away. The back door of the SWAT van burst open, and eight servicemen in full tactical gear ran out of the vehicle. Armed with M4 assault rifles, the officers began firing rounds of automatic ammunition at the Weapon. The Weapon responded by moving at blinding speed, striking with kicks, punches and palm strikes.

Moving swiftly from one SWAT officer to the next, the Weapon effortlessly killed most of the team. One of the surviving officers fired a round from his rifle's underbelly grenade launcher, which blasted the Weapon back, into the air. Seemingly without pause, he charged the wrist gauntlet on his left hand with blue energy before firing a laser at the ground. The force from the blast knocked him towards a nearby building, where he began running along the wall, just out of reach of multiple streams of bullets.

Leaping off the wall, the Weapon put forward both arms with closed fists, flattening another SWAT officer when he landed. Looking at the fleeing limousine, he then began to race down the street, following it. Kicking a civilian sedan out of his way, he then jumped upwards ten metres, launching himself so that he landed right on the front end, decimating the engine and halting the vehicle.

Jutting his fist through the windshield, the Weapon grabbed the limousine driver, grasping and crushing her windpipe. Jerking his hand so that it snapped her neck, he then pulled her body out of her seat and threw her behind him. Grabbing the roof of the limousine with both hands, he ripped a significant portion of it off, until he saw Kelly, who was being guarded by two agents.

Kelly stared at the motionless Weapon in terror for five seconds.

"Get down!"

Another grenade round struck the Weapon, blasting him off of the limousine and sent him crashing into a hot dog stand as the stand attendant freaked out and ran off. Dazed for a moment, the Weapon recovered and pushed himself off the ground. The rest of the SWAT team caught up to and opened fire on him, but he charged both of his wrist gauntlets and incinerated them with energy blasts. Running back to the limousine, he tore open a door to look inside. Seeing that it was empty, the Weapon looked all around him, seeing no sign of Kelly. As he heard police sirens getting closer, he opened up his communications channel.

"Report," commanded the Master.

"La cible c'est échappée. C'était authentique, comme vous voulait."

"Understood. Return to base."

Breathing in, the Weapon let go of the rush of combat, and the adrenaline in his veins flushed itself out. Feeling the cry of the wind fill up his ears again, the Weapon sneered before sprinting into a nearby alley and out of sight as a handful of police vehicles turned onto the street.


	5. Goddess of the Dead

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 5: Goddess of the Dead

One of the soldiers shouted as he unloaded an entire clip of bullets from his assault rifle. Moving his hands back and forth horizontally in a frenzied rage, he tried to hit as many of the incoming vampires as he could. His wild discharge did little to stall their movement, and within seconds they were upon him. He screamed in terror as several vampires pounced on him, digging their claws and fangs into his flesh.

Shetani watched as the soldier was torn apart by the vampires. Gritting his teeth, he reached for an incendiary grenade on his belt. Tearing the red grenade off the hook and pulling the pin with his teeth, he then tossed it to where the vampires had congregated. One of them growled at the grenade as it landed, before becoming enveloped in flames. The whole group of vampires evaporated after taking brutal damage from the incendiary attack.

As fifteen more vampires leaped to take their place, Shetani beckoned his men.

"Fall back! Fall back! Back to the tank!"

The soldiers at his side began slowly walking backwards while sustaining their fire. The vampires pounced over the wrecked cars on the street, with one stopping on top of a car to roar. Seeing the opportunity, Shetani aimed his rifle and placed the vampire's face in his iron sights. Squeezing the trigger to release a burst of three shots, they struck and blew apart the vampire's head.

Twenty metres behind the line of soldiers was a grey tank, smattered with sand and dust. Rolling forward, the machine gun turret on the front began firing, right over the heads of the soldiers and into the vampire's ranks. Vaporizing three vampires in a row, the rest began to flee laterally, off the street and into the alleys between the houses. Another wave ran forward down the street, but were annihilated by a shell blast from the tank's main cannon.

Holding her beret in place atop her head, one of the soldiers pointed out a vampire on a nearby roof.

"They're going up the walls!" she yelled.

Reaching the tank, the soldiers began spreading out, shooting at the vampires who were climbing or already on the roofs. Throwing his arms forward, a vampire lunged from the roof and tried to grasp the female soldier. As he did, she thrust her rifle forward, impaling the vampire in the chest. She then fired several shots, which caused the gun to violently shake his innards, ripping him apart.

Another soldier tried to ward off vampires from another alley with his shotgun, but he missed the last shot and a vampire slashed him across the throat with its claws. Seeing this, Shetani ran forward and kicked the vampire in the chest, knocking it against the wall. While it was stunned, he grabbed the shotgun off the ground and fired, vaporizing it.

Tossing the shotgun to one of the nearby soldiers, Shetani picked his assault rifle back up and retreated to behind the tank, where he took a firing position behind the left tread. The tank's main cannon pivoted to look up at vampires running on a nearby roof. Firing another shell, it blew apart the entire house, taking the vampires with it.

As another full wave of vampires ran down the street towards the tank, the remaining soldiers widened their eyes. A booming voice was then heard from behind them.

"Power of the winds, I command you; banish these demons of blood-thirst!"

The vampires were then blown backwards by a large gust of wind, sweeping them off their heels and into the air. They then were sent flying, landing dozens of metres away. Shetani turned around to see Ororo floating behind him. Her long, white hair flowed around her, and she was wearing her white and black bodysuit. The bodysuit itself had a cape, attached to it by the wrists.

"Ororo!" called Shetani. "Can you not lift this weather? Rid us of these nightmarish creatures?"

"I cannot, uncle," replied Ororo, "and I know not why. My powers have been impeded somehow . . . . I can only affect the winds. I suspect that the dark cloud hanging above us has the same origin as the vampires; black magic. Only if it were unnatural would I be unable to manipulate it."

One of the nearby soldiers pointed at the remaining vampires in the distance.

"Look! They're moving back!"

Still levitating, Ororo squinted at the hill near the edge of the town. As the vampires fell back to it, the black mist construct fell to the top and hovered. It then transformed into a human woman, with ghostly white skin. Thick, black hair sloped down the her neck and back. She was garbed in a leather, ebony leotard, with matching long gloves, heeled boots, and a cape. A spiked collar was wrapped around her neck. Her face was accentuated by brown eyes and glistening, sable-coloured lips. Whipping her hair as she straightened her neck, she then grinned with malevolent glee.

Ororo furrowed her brow.

"Selene."

As the crouching vampires huddled around her, one of them wobbled up to her side, and began stroking her leg. She then reached down with her gloved hand and started to click her fingernails against his forehead, causing him to moan with pleasure.

"Report, Hamilton."

Hamilton snarled and frothed at his mouth before responding.

"Goddess, there is . . . . nyagh, another . . . . another one of the, errrrgh . . . . witch-breed amongst the villagers. The rest . . . . blarrrygh, of the, graaaaaagh, soldiers . . . . will not last long."

Selene placed her thumb and index finger on Hamilton's chin, massaging it. He giggled in response.

"You've done well, Hamilton," said Selene. "I know of this fellow mutant . . . . bring her to me. She will make a fine disciple in my new nation."

"Yes, yes, of course, Goddess, of course."

"Kill or convert the rest; I don't care which. But the mutant is to be unharmed. Is that understood?"

Selene glared at Hamilton, and he withdrew from her, nodding.

"Good."

Selene then pointed forward at the village.

"Now, my fellow warriors of death, venture forth! Show the world your power by crushing the people of this town, and delivering it to to your Goddess, I, Selene Gallio, mistress of the dead! I have given you new life with my mastery of the dark arts, and so shall I deliver upon you my promise of a utopian country for you under my just rule; the nation of Necrosha!"

The vampires roared and cheered, throwing their arms in the air. They then began chanting her name repeatedly. Hamilton, rubbing his hands together, hurriedly nodded, with a snivelling grin on his face.

"Selene! Selene! Selene!"

"Go! And take what is ours!"

The nearly hundred vampires turned back to the village and roared, charging towards the village in a large clump. The soldiers standing at the tank gulped. One of them checked the inside of his clip to see how many bullets he had left, frowning upon seeing the result. Another soldier looked at Shetani.

"Colonel . . . . how many soldiers are left?"

"It appears to be just us," replied Shetani. "There's no backup."

Ororo then heard a noise behind her, and turned her head to see a modified SR-71 Blackbird jet flying towards them.

"Maybe not," said Ororo.

The soldiers turned around to see the X-Jet fly overhead.

"What is that?"

Ororo smiled.

"Backup."

* * *

Hank opened the back hatch of the jet, keeping it still in the air as he did so.

"X-Men!" called Xavier. "Go down there and assist in any way you can! Please, do not let those monsters hurt any more innocents today!"

Hank put up a finger.

"And I would advise that you would not let them bite you, but that's neither here nor there."

Scott stood up and looked at Xavier.

"Aye aye, Professor."

Xavier looked at Hank.

"Keep us in the air. Use the jet's weapons to help in any way you can."

Hank nodded. Scott, Jean, Bobby and Piotr jumped out of the back of the jet. Jean used her telekinesis to slowly bring herself and Scott to the ground. Bobby skated down along an ice path, and Piotr crashed against the ground, landing on one foot and one knee. Hank closed the back ramp and turned the jet around so that it was hovering perpendicular to the main road. Lowering the twin laser cannons, Hank began firing into the crowd of vampires, vaporizing several. The rest ran for cover from the blasts.

The team stood between Shetani's line of soldiers and the vampire ranks. Scott trained his visor forward, while Bobby and Piotr braced themselves. Jean turned to face Shetani and Ororo.

"Did Professor Xavier send you?" asked Ororo.

"Yes," replied Jean. "We're the X-Men. We're going to get you lot out of this."

Jean shrugged.

"Hopefully."

Scott held his hand out to his side.

"Hold."

The vampires then began to press forward, using cover to dodge the jet's laser attacks. As they got closer, Scott tapped his hand against his visor.

"Now!"

Scott fired an optical blast at one of the vampires, instantaneously reducing it to ash. Bobby aimed both of his arms forward, emitting a mist of frigid air which repelled the vampires. Piotr charged forward, punching the closest vampire into the ground.

"Mutant or demon, whatever you be, I, Colossus, will still break you!"

Another vampire leaped at him and chomped down on his arm, causing a loud cracking noise. The vampire squealed in pain as it held on to Piotr's metallic flesh with its mouth.

"Break all your teeth, did you?" asked Piotr.

The vampire moaned an 'uh huh' in response before Piotr smashed it against the closest wall. Jean floated into the air and lifted her arms slowly upward, causing a telekinetic field to pick up the cars and debris on the streets. She then quickly opened her palms, and the assorted objects went flying in all directions, striking several more vampires.

Selene growled under her breath. Hamilton raised an eyebrow.

"Who . . . . blegh, who, are they, Goddess? M-more . . . . nyaaaaaagh, witch-breed?"

"I believe so. It seems that I will have to take a more personal approach."

Ororo floated up to Jean, levitating at her side.

"You have the power of flight as well?"

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah."

Ororo and Jean attacked a group of six vampires at the same time; Ororo with her wind blast and Jean with a kinetic barrier. They knocked down the whole group, and smiled at each other.

"You're Ororo?"

"Affirmative, but only my uncle refers to me by my birth name. All others use my moniker. Storm."

"Uh huh. Storm. Right. Lemme guess, weather powers?"

"You are correct in that assertion, miss . . . .?"

"Assertion? Affirmative? Moniker? We, uh, definitely need to work on your speech when we hang out. And the name's Jean."

"Hang out? What do you mean?"

"Exactly."

After roundhouse kicking a vampire in the face, Scott looked back at Jean and Storm.

"Can you two save the girl talk until after we're done fighting the horde of supernatural monsters?! And Iceman, get those soldiers out of here!"

Scott fired a sustained optical blast while pivoting his neck, wiping out a whole line of vampires. Shetani and the other soldiers tried to fire on the enemy, but Bobby put up a wall of ice in front of them.

"What is this?" asked Shetani.

"Trust me, it's for your safety," said Bobby. "We're the big damn heroes. Let us save the day, okay?"

Shetani and his soldiers then looked up as the jet flew past them and landed behind the tank. The ramp lowered, and Bobby motioned towards it.

"Go on! We've got this!"

Shetani reluctantly nodded and gestured for his remaining soldiers to follow him as they ran towards the jet. Bobby then skated back over his ice wall and began firing a wide ice beam at a nearby vampire. After he did so, he looked forward and saw a cloud of dark mist approaching. It floated over the wreckage of cars on the street and stopped in front of the team.

As it did so, a civilian woman crashed through the window of a nearby house, chased by a vampire. Fleeing and screaming, the woman was then stunned by the black mist transforming into Selene. She yelled as Selene reached out and grabbed her face. Clutching it with her fingers, several thin streams of dark energy emanated from the face and wrapped around Selene's hand before entering her skin. After a few seconds, the woman's body became a lifeless husk which crumbled to dust, and Selene radiated with rejuvenating energy before reverting to normal.

The remaining vampires retreated, collecting themselves behind Selene. Hamilton stood with them. Jean and Storm landed on the ground, and the team stared at her. Selene put her hand out, motioning for the vampires to stay.

"Let me handle this, my children," commanded Selene.

"Selene Gallio," said Storm.

"Hello again, youngling. I see that you've been developing your powers since last we met. Still not quite enough to stop me, however. Poor, little darling."

"You know this woman?" asked Scott.

"Yes. She is both a mutant and a master of black magic. It is her foul incantation which inhibits my natural gift to affect the weather."

"So, what do we have here?" asked Selene. "A band of merry young mutants, come to save the innocent people of Kilifi. How touching."

"You're a murderer," said Scott.

"And you're not? You have killed many vampires today."

"That's different. They're . . . ."

Selene raised an eyebrow.

"Monsters? Demons? Is that not what so many humans refer to our kind as? Are we really so different?"

Scott felt the blood drain from his face. Selene chuckled.

"I am a mutant too," said Selene. "I know what you're going through. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I know better than anyone, given my . . . . life experience."

"What are you talking about?" asked Bobby.

Selene ignored the question and looked at Jean.

"And you . . . . I sense a psychic presence coming from you. You are gifted with both telepathy and telekinesis?"

Jean scowled.

"Fascinating. I have never come across such a combination before. Perhaps I will take you and Miss Munroe as my disciples."

Piotr stood forward.

"I doubt it," said Piotr.

"You're not taking anyone," said Scott. "These people here? They're my team. My friends . . . . my family. And you're not going to hurt any one of them."

"Brave words . . . . for a child."

The team looked up in response to the dark cloud in the sky sounding off a thunder crack. It started spinning faster, and a tornado of black mist came down from it. Selene put her arms in the air and began absorbing the mystical mist. Selene's body became energized, with visibly darkened skin. When she next spoke, her voice was a booming echo.

"But a child is nothing . . . . before a goddess!"

Scott sneered.

"We'll see."

Selene roared and fired two beams of dark force energy from her palms. Scott leaped to his side, pushing Jean out of the way of one of the beams, while Bobby and Piotr jumped the opposite way to dodge the other. Selene then spiralled her body upwards, becoming a torso with a black vapour trail as a body. Cackling loudly with wild abandon, she fired off dozens of dark force energy daggers, which rained down on the team.

Bobby jumped forward.

"Get down!"

Firing off a wide spread of ice, he quickly created a large ice shield which protected the whole team from the hail fire of energy daggers. However, he was not fast enough to stop one from slicing through his abdomen. Groaning in pain, he collapsed onto one knee as he fought with all his strength to maintain the ice shield.

"Iceman!" shouted Piotr.

Selene continued to maniacally laugh as she then boosted forward in her mist form, turning herself into a high velocity missile. Upon colliding with the ice shield, it shattered, and the force of the impact blew Bobby away, sending him crashing into the tank. The sound of crunching bones was heard as he fell to the floor.

Selene then rushed over to Piotr as he stood up. She pressed her hand against his chest.

"Now, your life force . . . . is mine!"

After a second, nothing happened. Selene raised an eyebrow and looked at her palm.

"What?"

Piotr placed his fist on his chest, sounding off a metallic thud.

"Absorb this!"

Piotr then threw a heavy uppercut, smashing his knuckles against Selene's chin. The brutal attack launched her into the air before she smashed into the ground. Hamilton's eyes widened.

"Goddess!"

"Stay back!" shouted Selene. "I can handle these petty children!"

Scott pointed at her.

"Phoenix, now! While she's down! Attack her on the astral plane!"

Jean closed her eyes and placed her fingers against her forehead. Her astral signature then left her body. The astral signature was a glowing, white outline of herself, which was mostly transparent. She the lunged through Selene's body, tearing her astral signature out of her. Scott looked at Storm.

"Storm! See if you can help Iceman. Get him back to the jet."

Storm nodded and ran for Bobby, picking him up off the ground. He groaned in response, but she ignored it and floated away from the battle area.

"Colossus, you're with me," ordered Scott. "We've got to give Phoenix time to harm her psychically. Keep wailing on her physical form!"

Piotr nodded.

"Colossus can do this!"

Piotr ran forward and shoulder charged Selene, who dodged out of the way. Scott fired an optical blast at her feet, knocking her off balance. She quickly recovered and reverted to her half mist form, causing two more of Scott's blasts to phase right through her. She then rushed for him. Piotr's eyes widened.

"Cyclops!"

Scott began flipping backwards, until he landed his feet on a wall behind him. He then tried to spin kick Selene off the wall, but fell through her. As he landed on the floor, she tried to slash down at him with a dark force energy blade, but Piotr slammed his hands together, blasting her mist form away from him.

On the astral plane, Jean's astral form stared at Selene's. Selene chuckled as she leered at her young quarry.

"You are a magnificent specimen," said Selene. "And I mean that in the most sincere way."

Jean narrowed her eyes.

"I could teach you how to truly become a master of your powers, youngling. I have lived for over seventeen thousand years."

"I know."

"Then you must also know that I've made a habit of . . . . teaching . . . . young girls. It's a . . . . hobby of mine."

Selene jutted out her hip and placed one hand on it.

"There are many benefits to becoming my disciple."

Jean scowled.

"Not interested."

"Your heart already belongs to another, doesn't it?" asked Selene. "I can sense it now. The one called Cyclops. He is the one who plucked you."

Jean didn't respond.

"Young love is so delicious . . . . especially when I can corrupt it."

Selene licked her lips before reaching out a hand.

"Join with me, Jean Grey. I promise that you won't regret it."

Scoffing, bladed tonfa materialized on Jean's arms. She then got into a battle ready pose. Selene withdrew her hand, before a kusarigama materialized in her hands.

"Come, youngling, and see how outmatched you are."

Jean shook her head.

"Shut up, bitch."

Selene laughed and began spinning the weight section of her weapon's chain. Jean lunged forward, swinging both of her tonfas at Selene, who blocked her attack with the sickle section of her weapon. Selene then spun around tried to slash at Jean with the sickle, but she rolled under the attack and whacked one of her tonfas against the back of Selene's left knee.

Selene grunted before sidestepping and kicking Jean in the face. Jean scraped her tonfas against the ground to regain her footing before charging at Selene again. Selene then threw the weight, latching it between the two tonfa sticks. Temporarily unable to attack, Jean broke her tonfas out of the weights grasp as Selene rushed around her, wrapping the chain around her neck. Selene cackled again as she tugged on the chain, strangling Jean and forcing her to her knees.

In the physical battle, Scott fired a blast at Selene's back, stunning her. Piotr rushed at her from the front, and tried to lower both of his hammerfists on her, but she threw up a dark force barrier that absorbed the attack. She then fired two magical energy blasts, one from each hand. Her right hand attacked Scott, and her left hand attacked Piotr. Both X-Men were blasted away from her, crumpling on the ground.

Landing on his back, Scott fired another quick optical blast at Selene, burning her hand. She turned into mist form and rushed for him, materializing on top of him and pinning him to the ground. She then opened her palm and reached for his face.

"Your friend may be made of metal, but you're good, old-fashioned flesh. Give me your essence!"

_"Jean!"_

_ "Scott."_

_ "You need to hurt her . . . . now!"_

_ "She has me beat . . . . can feel my psyche collapsing . . . ."_

_ "You have to do something, baby. Do you hear me? If you don't, we won't make it out of this alive. I love you. Jean, I need you!"_

_ "Scott, I . . . ."_

_ "Now, Jean! NOW!"_

On the astral plane, Jean opened her eyes and jutted her tonfa up into the chain around her neck. With all her psychic strength, she ripped through the chain, shattering Selene's weapon. With her love of Scott at the forefront of her mind, and yelling as she did so, Jean raced towards a stunned Selene and slashed at her belly with both of her tonfas, splitting her astral form in half. She emitted a high-pitched scream as her astral form shattered and exploded.

In the physical world, Selene stood up and shrieked. She grabbed at her head as if she was experiencing a severe migraine, thrashing her neck back and forth. Jean opened her eyes and ran to Scott's side, helping him up off the ground. Selene yelled again as a large, magical energy vortex emerged from her body, disintegrating the dark cloud overhead.

The dark energy evaporated, giving way to the midday sun, and all of the vampires shrieked as they were roasted and incinerated by the sun's rays. Selene stumbled around, dazed by the shattering of her astral form. Scott then stood up and fired an energy blast right at her face.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

The energy blast struck Selene's cheek, causing her to rapidly spin in the air before crashing against the dirt. As she did, a natural thunder cloud formed above her. The team looked up to see Storm floating above them. Her eyes were orbs of ivory.

"Forces of the elements, I command you! Now that you have been released from her curse, strike down this perilous witch with cleansing lightning!"

The thunder cloud crackled, and a bolt of lightning fell down from it, directly striking Selene. It lit up her body as she squealed in agony, electricity arcing all across her skin. After holding the attack for six seconds, Storm relented, and Selene's charred, disabled form collapsed in a smoking heap.


	6. Warnings

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 6: Warnings

Selene weakly moaned as she lay on her side. Her skin was heavily damaged, her hair was in disarray, and she was clutching her stomach. Her body was laced with lacerations, bruises and burn marks. Her eyes were nearly rolled up in the back of her head, and drool dribbled from her mouth. The team stood around her, watching her quiver. She coughed several times, groaning as she did so, indicating that the coughs were causing her physical pain.

Jean folded her arms as she stared down at Selene. Storm glared at the villain, and Piotr placed his fists together. Scott knelt down beside her.

"For someone who claimed the title of goddess, I have to say that quite frankly, I'm underwhelmed."

Selene growled. Scott responded by standing up and kicking her in the face. Jean's eyes widened.

"Scott . . . ."

Scott ignored Jean and stamped down on both of Selene's wrists with his feet. He then knelt back down and grasped Selene's neck with his left hand, pulling her up slightly. Exerting tremendous pressure on her throat, Scott watched as Selene struggled to breathe.

"Scott!"

Scott turned and pointed at Jean.

"You stay back!" shouted Scott.

Jean's face indicated that she was taken aback by his action, but she remained silent. Piotr frowned. Scott looked back at Selene, who choked and sputtered.

"Now you listen to me, you twisted, mutant whore. This town and its people are now under the protection of the X-Men. If you ever come back here, for any reason, I swear, I will find you and crush your neck until your lungs burst. Do I make myself clear?!"

With great struggle, Selene nodded. Scott threw her back down against the ground. Wiping his mouth, he then walked away a few paces before turning back to her.

"You asked what the difference was between you and I? Well, here it is; you came here to hurt people. I came here to help them."

Selene saw a lizard crawling on the nearby dirt. Reaching out, she grasped it, and absorbed its life force. As it disintegrated, Selene pushed herself off the ground. Standing up, she held her stomach with one arm. When she spoke, her voice was hollow, having been damaged by Scott crushing her windpipe.

"I am a woman of my word. I will not return here. But know this, X-Men . . . . we will meet again."

Scott scowled.

"And we'll be waiting."

Selene glared at him for another second before turning into her mist form and flying away, over the hills. The team then walked to the X-Jet, which was parked just outside the town. Xavier was there with Hank, as well as Shetani, his soldiers, and the returning civilians. Storm hugged her uncle before looking at Xavier.

"Professor."

"Ororo . . . . or should I call you Storm?" laughed Xavier.

Some time passed as families were reunited and thanks were given to the X-Men for their assistance. At the end of it all, the team got ready to board the jet. Jean looked over at Hank.

"How is Bobby?" asked Jean.

"He's recovering. I had previously surmised that his ice form was super-humanly durable against nearly all external assault, but he was almost grievously harmed by Selene's magical attack. Luckily, it didn't pierce any major organs or blood vessels."

"Well, good for that."

"I treated his wound and sedated him. He'll be fine once we get back to the mansion."

Xavier, who was seated in his wheelchair at the foot of the jet's ramp, beckoned for the team to join him.

"Alright, X-Men, let's get going."

Scott looked over at Storm.

"What about you, Storm?"

"Me?"

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"Yeah," said Piotr. "You made one hell of a comrade."

"You're not coming?" asked Jean.

"Unfortunately not today, my friends," answered Storm. "I have a responsibility to my people to help them rebuild. We need not fear Selene again, but I need to make sure that everyone here is settled again before I can join you. But worry not . . . . we will see each other again, quite soon, I think. I can feel Mother Nature saying that will be so."

Jean frowned for a moment, but then relented and smiled. Scott nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alright."

"Farewell, X-Men," said Storm. "Know that you have done an immeasurable service for my people, one that we will never forget. Until next time."

"Until next time," said Xavier.

Storm smiled and then lifted off into the air, soaring over the town. Jean felt her mouth drop as she watched in awe. The team then piled into the jet, taking their seats. Bobby was lying on a makeshift bed near the back. His eyes were closed. Jean walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment before taking her seat.

As Hank lifted off, he opened the video com to Moira.

"Doctor MacTaggert?"

Moira's face appeared on the screen. She had a look of worry.

"You lot done?"

"We're headed home," said Hank. "Crisis averted."

"I'm glad you were able to help, but there's really something you need to see. Sending it through to you now."

The screen changed to a news report. It showed shaky camera footage of the wreckage of multiple police vehicles, narrated by a male reporter.

". . . . footage from an amateur videographer, who was able to capture several images of the Senator's convoy after the attack."

Xavier and Hank narrowed their eyes as they looked at the screen. Scott, Jean and Piotr moved forward so that they could see.

"We can confirm that it was a mutant who attempted to assassinate Senator Kelly, but the motives and/or potential political association are unknown at this time. Multiple members of the Senate claim that they believe that it may have ties to the recently outed conspiracy known as the Cabal . . . ."

Hank shook his head.

"When did this happen?"

Moira's face reappeared on the screen.

"Just this morning, after you left. In Boston."

"Why would a mutant try and attack Kelly now?" asked Scott. "He's been quiet about the mutant situation ever since Tampa."

"I don't know, Scott," answered Xavier. "But I believe that this is something we will be looking into very soon."

"Sooner than you think, Charles," said Moira. "Look at this."

The video screen then switched to Kelly at a press conference, standing at a podium. Hank gulped.

"Today's cowardly attempt on my life proves the danger posed by mutants the world over. We can no longer stand aside and allow these dangerous creatures to run free in our streets. Our homes, our families, and our very way of life is threatened by the mere existence of mutants! If we don't make a stand today, who's to say that the Secretary of Defense, or even the President won't be their next target? Thus, I have decided to instate a new branch of law enforcement for the good state of Massachusetts: the Mutant Response Division!"

A banner appeared behind him, showing concept art of a group of men and women in green and grey uniforms, with helmets and gas masks, each one holding an advanced assault rifle, with stun batons clipped to their belts. Jean gasped. Xavier frowned. Hank held his hand on his heart.

"Oh, my stars and garters."

"Starting today, all mutant-related crimes will be dealt with by the MRD, who answer directly to my authority. As of now, all mutants within the state of Massachusetts will be branded fugitives from justice until they either are brought in or come forth to be registered with the state government. On top of all this, I am also announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States, so that I may bring the MRD to the level of national force!"

The journalists at the press conference erupted into chaotic chatter and questioning. The entire team felt their hearts sink as they processed the information. After the journalists quieted down, Kelly spoke again.

"And to any and all mutants, I say this: make it easy on yourself. Come forth willingly, and you will be shown quarter. Resist, and you will regret it . . . . for your days are numbered."

The screen faded out. For the rest of the flight home, the whole team was silent.

* * *

The team piled out of the jet once it was landed in the hangar. Bobby was up as well, having recovered from his injury. The whole team stood on the elevator. Once they were back in the foyer, they walked into the kitchen area, where half of them gasped.

"Professor."

Moira was sitting at the kitchen table, with a cup of coffee. A woman with long, red hair and a black catsuit had her arms folded and her back against the wall beside her. A black man with an eye-patch and a leather jacket was standing next to Moira. He had his hands in his pockets, and looked over at Xavier when the team walked in the room.

Scott took a step forward and pressed his hand against his visor, ready to fire.

"Step away from her, now!"

Xavier put his hand out, holding it in front of Scott's chest.

"Stand down, Scott," commanded Xavier.

"But . . . ."

"It's alright."

Scott exhaled and reluctantly nodded before stepping back.

"Who are you?" asked Xavier.

"Nick Fury. Director of SHIELD."

Fury gestured towards the woman in the catsuit.

"This is one of my agents, Natalia Romanova, otherwise known as the Black Widow."

Xavier narrowed his eyes.

"I've never heard of you."

"I have," said Moira.

Xavier and the team looked at Moira.

"A few years back, when I was working on Muir Island, I was approached by them. SHIELD. They're a rather secretive organization . . . . peacekeeping and security force. They were interested in my research and my possible recruitment, but I declined."

"Doctor MacTaggert is correct," said Fury. "I came here because I needed to warn you of a grave threat."

"If it's Senator Kelly and his Mutant Response Division, don't bother," said Hank. "We watched the news report."

"Not that. I didn't come here to talk to you about Kelly. I came here to talk to you about the man who tried to kill him."

Xavier looked at the team and then rolled forward.

"Alright."

Fury shifted his gaze over to Scott.

"Oh, we're not leaving," said Scott.

"Yeah," said Jean. "Whatever you have to say to the Professor, you can say to all of us."

Fury exhaled and put on an unimpressed look. Xavier shrugged.

"Fine. Let me show you."

Fury walked around Moira and pulled out a set of photos from his jacket. He placed them on the table. Xavier and the team gathered around the table, looking at the photos. They showed several blurry images of a man in a full, black bodysuit. Xavier picked up one of the photos and stared at it. Bobby looked at it over his shoulder.

"Who is that?" asked Bobby.

Fury sat down on the chair next to Moira's.

"He's called the Sapphire Weapon."

Xavier's eyes widened, but he did not speak.

"He popped up on SHIELD's radar about six months ago, when Ms. Romanova here intercepted a communication between him and his mission handler."

Natalia stood forward, and started speaking. She had a Russian accent.

"From what I could gather, he's a mutant in the employ of someone he calls the 'Master', and seems to be only fluent in French. His dialect indicates a Québécois origin. He was implicated in the disappearance of a teenage mutant named Angelica Jones, but all information I tried to find brought me to more dead ends. That handful of low quality photos are all the other intel I could gather on him. For all intents and purposes, he's a ghost."

Hank picked up one of the images, showing the Weapon running down a street.

"This is motion blur," said Hank.

"Yes," replied Natalia. "One of his confirmed powers is super speed. He also emits blue energy blasts from his hands, but, I don't know if that is a result of being a mutant, or a function of his suit."

"This looks like modular armour," noted Hank, while he scratched his chin. "Fascinating."

"As far as we can tell, the Sapphire Weapon's targets have always been mutants, until today," explained Fury. "He assaulted a fully armed police convoy and slaughtered thirteen law enforcement officers in less than ninety seconds . . . . but Kelly got away."

Xavier raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit odd to you, that an assassin with so much power and efficiency in combat would allow such a high profile target to escape? And that this is exactly the sort of political ammunition that the Senator needed to push forward his Mutant Response Division?"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Scott. "Are you saying that Senator Kelly is conspiring with this assassin?"

"Or the person he works for," answered Natalia. "Stage a fake assassination attempt by a mutant in broad daylight and try to make it look as authentic as possible. It's the perfect cover to give him the support he needed to install the MRD."

"That is eviiiiiiil," said Bobby.

"Look," started Fury, "right now, it's just a theory. We have no real evidence, but I've been in this business long enough to know how rare coincidences are."

"But why bring this to us?" asked Scott. "Why can't you look into it on your own?"

"Contrary to what you might think, as an organization, we're rather small. It helps us maintain our secrecy. We assess threats and deal with them as we can. However, since the collapse of the UN, has been fear of war all over the globe. Paramilitaries, PMCs, international espionage . . . . the threat of Doctor Doom and the Cabal has caused a worldwide panic in the intelligence community. Nobody knows where national alliances stand anymore, and borders everywhere are contested. My people are needed elsewhere, but after what you X-Men did last year in Tampa, I felt that . . . . you deserved to know what you're up against."

Fury stood up from the table, and Natalia pushed herself off the wall.

"Thank you, Director," said Xavier.

"I believe in what you're doing here, Professor. Stay sharp. There's more to this scenario than meets the eye."

Fury walked out of the room. Natalia inhaled and looked at Xavier with disdain.

"Is something the matter?"

"You're the first confirmed telepath to ever be born," said Natalia.

"This troubles you?"

"I met a telepath once. It didn't end well."

Xavier tilted his head to the side. Natalia nodded to the rest of the team and followed Fury out of the room. The two left through the front door, and got into a black van which was parked just outside.

* * *

Kelly rubbed his hands together as he watched the news report on the Mutant Response Division in his private office. As he did, Sinister stepped out of the shadowed corner behind him.

"You've done well, Senator."


	7. Tension

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 7: Tension

A little boy, no older than five, turned away and ran back inside upon seeing what was causing the noise. A large, armoured personnel carrier, with eight wheels, rumbled down the street. It was painted with a dull green hue all around, with a single, six inch wide yellow line that encircled the whole vehicle. In the one break in the line, the letters 'MRD' were emblazoned.

The personnel carrier was flanked on both sides by three Mutant Response Division officers. All six wore the same uniform; a green and grey tactical suit, with a black belt, leather jackboots, a military grade helmet and a gas mask. A small, golden pin was affixed on the left side of each officer's chest, with the MRD logo. Stun batons were clipped to their belts, which had several pockets for containing auxiliary gear and gadgets. On top of this, each officer wielded either an advanced assault rifle, combat shotgun, or thermal clip sniper rifle.

The officers marched down the street, keeping in time with the movement of the personnel carrier. The street that they were moving down was completely barren otherwise, with a single car in the night quickly turning away at the sight of the officers. The little boy, now inside, looked out the window as the personnel carrier moved past his home on the terrace. He didn't even realize how his palms were trembling, pressed against the glass.

The officer walking near the top right of the carrier, Laura, put up her left fist, signalling the carrier to stop. She then accessed her personal data unit, which was strapped to her left wrist. Checking the blue data screen for the address, she then looked at the number of the house on the terrace in front of her. Verifying that they were the same, she flicked off her data unit.

"This is it," said Laura. "Units, unload and prepare for capture. Civilian report of two mutants living at this location."

With a hissing sound, the back end of the personnel carrier opened, lowering a loading ramp. Several more officers rushed out of the back, taking aim at the house. Laura listened to the sound of her own breathing intently as she waited for the officers to get into position.

"Captain Brown," said one of the officers. "What are your orders?"

Laura narrowed her eyes before responding.

"Teams One and Two, you're with me. Shoot to wound only, unless otherwise instructed. Team Three, stay with the APC under reserve protocol. Team Four, circle to the back of the house and be ready in case of an escape attempt."

"Yes, ma'am."

A team of three officers ran off down the sidewalk. Laura and her squad moved forward, their weapons trained on the door. They moved into breaching position, with Laura keeping her com channel open. After a minute of waiting, she heard a voice in her ear.

"Team Four in position."

"Ready to breach on my mark," said Laura.

Everyone took in a breath.

"Mark."

An officer with a combat shotgun fired at the doorknob, blowing it apart. He then kicked the door open and tossed in a flashbang grenade. After it detonated, Laura's squad stormed into the house, checking the rooms. Upon heading upstairs, they heard screaming. Laura broke open the door to a bedroom, and saw two girls, each one sitting in their own bed.

"Get away!"

The first girl was Japanese and had blue hair. She fired multiple arcs of blue electricity from her hands, causing the officers to move back. Scowling, Laura tapped a button on her personal data unit, causing it to unfold and form a green energy shield. The second girl was white with red, stylizing markings all over her face and body. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Nori!"

"Go, Alani! Go! Run!"

"But . . . ."

"RUN!"

Laura stood back in the doorway, holding her shield in front of her body. It absorbed the electricity of the girl's attacks. Alani, shaking her head and holding her hands on her ears, then began screaming and took off towards the wall. She seemed to phase through it, but it also caused the pieces of the wall she touched to shatter and crumble.

"She's running!" yelled Laura. "Team Four! She's coming to you!"

The girl with the blue hair gritted her teeth as she tried to strengthen her electricity blast, but Laura pushed forward with her shield and smacked her across the face with it. The girl fell out of the bed, and two officers quickly ran to her and secured her hands with a metallic cuff device. Yelping as it latched on, the girl then passed out due to the device injecting her with a sedative.

"Get her in the truck! Now!" shouted Laura. "Team Four, do you have her?!"

Alani continued to run with her eyes closed, phasing her way through multiple walls until she crashed through the back of the house. Falling down to the grass, the team of officers who were at the backyard fired small darts from their rifles. Upon hitting her skin, they latched on and induced an electric shock, which disabled her.

"We have her, Captain!"

Laura walked out the back door and onto the grass. She looked down at Alani, who was jerking from the electricity, but otherwise unable to move. Laura clicked her tongue and furrowed her brow, holding her rifle in the air.

One of the officers held out another cuff device.

"No," said Laura. "This one caused me grief."

The officer nodded and stood back. Alani gushed with tears as her mouth stayed open. With nothing but cold, merciless disdain in her eyes, Laura stepped on Alani's wrist, gashing and tearing at her flesh with the spikes on the bottom of her boot. She aimed her weapon at the red diamond marking on Alani's forehead.

"Mutant scum."

Laura fired a single shot. A tiny puff of smoke wisped out of the barrel.

* * *

Moira walked into the bedroom first, with Xavier following behind in his chair. She stood next to the dresser, placing one hand on it and sighing. Xavier closed the door behind him, and put his hands in his lap. For a few minutes, they didn't move, or say anything. Finally, Xavier broke the silence.

"Moira."

Moira turned around and looked at Xavier with a frown.

"Yes, Charles?"  
"Things are about to get very dangerous around here. The students . . . . Kelly might come for them, if he finds out where we are. At the same time, we can't not investigate what's going on."

"I agree."

Xavier then glared at Moira.

"Then why did you lie?"

Moira's eyes widened.

"What?!"

Xavier pointed at her.

"I don't have to use my powers to see that you have a connection to all this. You didn't turn down SHIELD's offer all those years ago, did you?"

Moira bit her lip, steeling herself.

"Did you?"

Moira sighed and shook her head, looking down. She then reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet. Unfolding it, she held her badge in front of her, facing Xavier.

"Moira MacTaggert. Agent Twenty-Five. SHIELD Special Service. Rank: Science Officer."

Xavier exhaled and lowered his gaze as she put her badge on the dresser. He shook his head before looking back up at Moira. Her facial muscles were trembling.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have allowed me to be here if I did?" asked Moira.

Xavier gulped in response.

"Exactly."

"You've been reporting on us? Is that how Fury knew how to find us?"

"He knew how to find you from the moment you bought the damn Institute," retorted Moira. "Information is sort of SHIELD's job, Charles. That's why he's so terrified of what's going on now. Mutant assassins working for politicians? Giant monsters attacking major cities? A possible worldwide conspiracy to overthrow democracy? We're living in the age of terror, Charles, and we are this close to tipping over."

Xavier scowled.

"Is that what they tell you on recruitment day?"

"Don't me that crap. Fury had every right to be afraid of you. A rich, powerful telepath personally training a team of young mutants? To some people, that sounds an awful lot like recruiting child soldiers. Look what you put those kids through!"

"You think I want to? I did what I did because I have to."

"So do I!"

"So you never actually cared about us?"

Moira threw up her arms.

"I did it because I do care!" shouted Moira.

Xavier reeled back in surprise at Moira's outburst. She then walked up to him, with tears welling in her eyes, and knelt in front of him.

"Charles, Fury was this close to coming in with agents and shutting you down. I pleaded with him to let me go in instead, as a, a . . . . whatever you want to call it. Yes, it was to lessen his anxiety, but, it was more for me. I wanted to see you again. Make it like it was. Charles, if I hadn't shown up, there would be no X-Men. They wouldn't have let you."

Xavier softened his scowl into a straight face.

"When they came to me," explained Moira, "Muir Island was in shambles. I was out of money, and my staff had one foot out the door. I was getting nowhere. Then they showed up, and said that if I joined, I would get the resources and manpower that I needed to continue my research. Our research. You want to know why I was able to finish Cerebro? It was because of them. Because of SHIELD, I got to continue my work, and you and those children, whom I've come to care for as if they were my own . . . . you saved the world."

Moira placed her cheek down against Xavier's hand.

"So don't tell me that I don't care," whispered Moira. "I lied because I thought I was doing what was for the best."

Moira stared into Xavier's eyes. After holding her gaze for a long while, he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

* * *

Scott kept his hands together as he sat at the table. He was sitting on a patio outside of a building with a sign attached, that was in the shape of a stylized tea cup. Pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, he watched as Jean kept her arms folded and looked to the street.

A woman with long brown hair and an apron approached the table. Her apron had the same logo as the building, with the words 'Grind Stone Cafe' written on it. Her name tag read 'Luna'.

"Ya'lright here, are you?" asked Luna. "Don't need anything else right now?"

"We're fine," replied Jean.

"Alright."

Luna smiled, and moved her eyes up and down Jean's slender form for a moment before she walked off to the next table. For another minute, neither Scott or Jean said anything. Scott tried to reach for his drink, but sighed and just tapped it with two fingers before sitting back. He looked at Jean, but she refused to return his gaze. Still, there was no harshness or anger in her expression, but more of a withdrawal; a disconnect that Scott couldn't figure out.

"I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to figure out what's wrong until you give me a clue."

Jean looked at Scott and raised an eyebrow.

"Something I did?" asked Scott, with a weak, jokey smile on his face.

Jean exhaled and frowned at him.

"C'mon, give me something to work with."

"You nearly killed Selene."

Scott shook his head for a moment in surprise, reeling himself back in his chair.

"Huh?"

"She was beaten. Defenceless. And you just brutalized her. Why?"

Scott felt the small amount of glib he had drain from his face. Taking a moment to swallow and inhale, he put his hands back on the table. He bit the inside of his lip before speaking.

"Do you remember . . . . when I told you, told you that I have touch issues?"

"Of course. First four months we barely held hands."

"I don't like to touch people . . . . because I don't . . . ."

Scott stopped and looked to the side. Jean ever so slightly narrowed her eyes.

"I don't like them to get close. I, I mean, you, well, obviously, you are the exception. But before I met you, Jean, I, I didn't let anybody in. There was always this . . . . gap, I guess you could say. I don't know. Suppose you could say I was scared. Scared of, of . . . ."

"What happened?"

Scott looked up at Jean, but didn't speak.

"What aren't you telling me? You've gotten close before, but you always pull back. Tell me the truth, or, or I dunno if this is gonna work anymore."

Scott closed his eyes and placed his forehead against his fist, sighing again. After he put his hand back down, he opened his eyes.

"When I was six years old, I uh . . . . I had a family. Same as most, I guess. Mom, Dad. And ah, a little brother. Alex."

Jean faintly tilted her head.

"He was four."

"Was?"

"Yeah."

Jean wiped her mouth.

"What happened?"

"We were . . . . heh. We were just like any other family. At least, far as I know. Dad was an Air Force pilot. Mom wrote novels. Heh, those uh, heh heh, those really cheesy ones. Bad romance stories. She loved that."

Scott swallowed again before continuing.

"Dad said that he wanted to take us on a vacation. He got us, ah, a vintage plane, or whatever. Fixed it up, said that we were going to see the mountains. Wanted to teach me how to fly. Of course, I wanted it more than anything, because it was him, you know? He was my dad. Far as I was concerned, he was the greatest guy alive."

Jean felt her breathing slow down. Scott lightly smiled as he told the next part of his story.

"Went up, to the Rockies. Canada. Felt like I was in a whole new world. When Dad was flying the plane, we were safe. Invincible. We were just, so full of energy. Mom kept saying, 'sit down, sit down', heh heh. Said we would break a hole in the bottom of the plane cause we wouldn't stop jumping. I remember . . . . her smile. It was real."

Scott's smile disappeared.

"Then . . . . something, some thing, hit us. There was, a light, or, some sort of flash, I don't really know. I wish I could have gotten, some sort of look at it, but . . . . Dad said he could get us safely on the ground. Mom told us to grab the chutes. She . . . . she said she'd be right behind us."

Jean skipped a breath.

"Opened the hatch door. The whole, whole plane was just, shaking. Was hard to focus. I remember grabbing the chutes, and . . . . I looked into Alex's eyes. His whole face was just in shock. Like he couldn't process anything. I put the chute on him . . . . and I held him, and I, I, said, said something. To him."

"What was it?"

Scott paused.

"I said . . . . Alex. No matter what happens, we're family."

Scott gently licked his lips.

"Don't know why I would have said that. I was just a kid. I didn't really understand, but, I guess it felt like something he should have heard."

Jean wiped her eye with her finger.

"Then, we got hit again. The explosion, or whatever it was, it, it . . . . knocked him out. Out the hatch. And I reached for him, but, he was already gone. I kept saying to myself that he had the chute, he had the chute, he had the chute. He'll be okay. I tried not to think about how . . . . how I never told him how it worked."

His eyes shut, Scott looked down and shook his head. Jean reached out and gently caressed his hands with hers.

"So random. No reason. Hell, I never found out what actually happened. Doctor at the hospital said they never found any trace of him. No chute, no clothes. Just . . . . gone. Probably buried under who knows how much snow. I had to . . . . had to go to the funeral for my whole family, by myself."

Jean grasped Scott's hands and squeezed them.

"So, when Selene, came this close to, hurting you . . . . hurting the team . . . . I couldn't help myself. Because I know, just . . . . how quickly you can lose everything. Everyone. It's not a storybook where, you know that everyone who is good is going to get out okay. Things just, happen sometimes, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

The two were silent again. With her free hand, Jean grabbed her wallet from her inside jacket pocket. Flicking it open, she looked at a photo that she had from her childhood. It showed two young, smiling girls. One was her younger self, and the other was her best friend at the time, Annie Richardson.

"Yeah," said Jean. "I learned that one."

She put her wallet down as Scott grabbed both of her hands.

"I just can't . . . ."

Scott's eyes widened as he saw something behind Jean.

"Can't what?"

Jean raised an eyebrow as Scott let go of her hands and stood up, staring. Closing his eyes for a moment, he quickly took off his sunglasses and swapped them for his visor. He then stood up and began walking laterally, towards the street.

"Scott?!"

Staying in her seat, Jean turned her head around and felt the air leave her lungs. A massive, grey dropship floated, about ten metres above the street level. It was in the shape of a magnet, with all of its angles squared. Both prongs, which were facing forward, glowed with ambient purple energy. The ship was at least fifteen metres in length, with a a glass orb situated between the two prongs. The ship swelled the dust beneath it, and pedestrians screamed and fled.

Below the ship and just ahead of it, was the Sapphire Weapon. Walking at a slow, methodical pace, each step he took, although relatively quiet, seemed to strike at the atmosphere itself. Scott walked on to the pavement of the road, never letting his gaze leave the Weapon. Stopping in the centre of the street, Scott watched as the Weapon walked closer, until he charged one of his wrist gauntlets and fired a blue energy beam at his feet.

Scott reacted by performing a backflip, dodging the blast. Upon landing on one knee, Scott looked up the Weapon.

"Who sent you here?"

The Weapon stopped moving forward before responding.

"La Maitre."

He then turned his head to the right, spotting Jean still sitting at the table.

"Cible en vue."

The Weapon began walking towards her. Scott shouted and fired an optical blast at the Weapon, hitting him in the side. The Weapon sprinted towards Scott, smashing his neck with the inside of his right elbow, and then forcing his arm down, which knocked Scott against the ground.

Rolling backwards with the attack, Scott recovered and threw a jab punch at the Weapon's stomach, which was deflected. Scott then tried a right hook, which was again blocked. Scott and the Weapon traded several more blows, but the Weapon's speed gave him a significant advantage. Knocking Scott again against the ground, he stood above him, looking down. Scott then fired a sustained energy blast, which zigzagged across the Weapon's chest, searing the armour. The Weapon yowled in pain.

The Weapon was then struck by a car flying through the air towards him. Jean, who was now on the road as well, held out her hands, moving the car with her mind. The Weapon rolled under the car and fired an energy blast directly at her. She tried to absorb it with a psionic field, but wasn't fast enough to match the Weapon's blazing speed and was knocked unconscious by the attack.

Scott yelled and charged at the Weapon, who backhanded him. Scott was sent flipping into the air, smacking and falling off the roof of a nearby van. The dropship descended, lowering a ramp out of the glass orb. The Weapon calmly walked over to Jean, picking her up, and holding her with one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees. He then walked onto the ramp.

Groaning, Scott tried to push himself off the ground, but all of his bones ached so much that he could barely move. The Weapon took a second to look back at him before turning back towards the entrance of the ship.

"On retourne au camp. Il fault s'envoler. Maintenant!"

The ramp closed, and the dropship lifted off into the sky. Scott fired a single optical blast, which missed, as he struggled to look up.

"JEAN!"


	8. Everyone is Stealth

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 8: Everyone Is Stealth

Scott tapped his foot repeatedly as he waited. His arms were folded and his breathing pace was heightened. Hank looked over at him and noted his signs of agitation, but did not speak. Bobby and Piotr stood behind Hank, watching Xavier. Moira was next to him, her hand on his shoulder as he focused his mind.

After several more minutes, Xavier finally took the Cerebro helmet off. With a sullen look on his face, he turned around and faced the team.

"I can't find her."

Scott's eyes, unseen to everyone, flared up.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't find her?!" shouted Scott. "Cerebro can find anyone on the goddamn planet!"

Hank took a step forward, reaching out with his hand.

"Scott, perhaps . . . ."

Scott quickly swatted Hank's hand away.

"Perhaps nothing! Focus harder, turn up the power, I don't care! Find her! NOW!"

"Scott, please," pleaded Xavier. "Your anger gains us nothing."

"The Professor is right, Scott," said Moira. "You've got to . . . ."

"You don't get to tell me anything!" interrupted Scott, pointing a finger at her. "You sold us all out to SHIELD, you worthless traitor! You've been reporting on us this whole time!"

Moira closed her mouth and straightened her face.

"Scott!" shouted Xavier.

Scott glared at him.

"This is not the time for your childish displays of frustration! If you truly want Jean back, then you need to stop lashing out at your allies and help us think!"

Scott opened his mouth but then exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment. Letting go of his clenched fists, he took a step back and swallowed.

"Now," started Xavier, "I searched meticulously, but was unable to locate any trace of Jean's astral signature. My only theory is that whoever kidnapped her has developed some sort of technology to block telepathic signals. It would have to be even stronger than Magneto's helmet to completely hide her from Cerebro's detection."

"Let's look at what we know," said Hank. "The Sapphire Weapon is working for someone else, and given the size and scope of the ship that Scott described, this person has a plethora of resources, likely enough to develop some sort of device capable of masking astral signatures. What this really tells us, though, is that this person knew that someone would try and detect her in that fashion."

Everyone narrowed their eyes as they looked at Hank.

"Whoever this person is, they know about us, or at the very least, what we're capable of. Think about it. Why else would they bother to hide Jean on the astral plane when the only person who could find her via that method is another telepath?"

Bobby scratched his head.

"But why would they want to take just her?" asked Scott. "Why not me too? Isn't this person in league with the MRD? Don't they want all mutants captured?"

Hank put his hand on his chin.

"That part does trouble me. The past two weeks has been rife with reports of anti-mutant violence by the Response Division, including multiple fatalities, but never of showing any mercy. They must have been specifically targeting Jean, especially since the craft you described was not standard issue."

"Do you think they knew about how powerful she is?"

"They must have. Why else would they send the Sapphire Weapon to obtain her?"

Bobby stood forward.

"Okay, not to break apart the brain trust here, but it sounds like you're not getting any closer to finding her. I mean, what are we gonna do about it?"

"Senator Kelly," said Hank. "We still have no proof that he's in league with the Sapphire Weapon, but even still, we have to investigate his activities to help the mutants his MRD have been capturing."

"What do you propose?" asked Xavier.

"His campaign headquarters. In Boston. We have to get in there."

Scott threw up his arms.

"What good will that do?"

"Presumably he will have some sort of computer that carries all of his files and data. If he really is allied with the Sapphire Weapon, then maybe that system will have information on where they are located, or what sort of people we're dealing with. I know it's a long shot, but it's the only lead we have."

"You're going to risk all our lives on the off chance that Kelly has something worthwhile?!"

"Do you want Jean back or not?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you listen to me," scolded Hank. "We're being put in an impossible situation. Someone targeted one of our own, and we don't know who. My plan may not be the strongest one ever conceived, but there is no other logical course of action given the information we have at present. If you can offer a better solution, than by all means, impart your wisdom!"

Scott sighed and looked down. Hank put a hand on his shoulder.

"Scott, you're the strongest and bravest of all of us, but no man can stay resolute indefinitely. We know what Jean means to you. But try to remember . . . . what she means to us."

Scott looked up. After looking at Hank for a few seconds, he nodded, turning to look at Bobby and Piotr. Hank took his hand off Scott's shoulder.

"We go with Hank's plan," stated Scott. "We get into Kelly's headquarters, we find the information we need. We find where the Weapon is, we go there, we beat him, we get Jean and we get out. Is that understood?"

Bobby smiled.

"Now that's a plan I like."

"No complaints from Colossus," said Piotr.

Scott turned to look at Xavier and Moira, who sighed simultaneously.

"When I put together this team," started Xavier, "I did so knowing that it would be seen by some as something to be wary of. There will always be those who do not trust us. As a way of alleviating this, I put forth the decree that we would not break the law. Going through with this would be a violation of that rule."

Scott gulped. Xavier furrowed his brow.

"That being said, we also cannot allow one of our own to needlessly perish. Hank?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Prepare the Blackbird. We leave now."

* * *

Hank winced as he squeezed himself into the air vent. Reaching forward with his paw, he clasped the metal panel in front of him and pulled his body forward. After stretching out the majority of his muscles, he caught the rhythm of the movement and continued onward down the length of the vent.

On top of the office building that housed Kelly's headquarters, the X-Jet was parked, in stealth mode, making it almost completely transparent. In the cockpit, Moira was sitting in the pilot's seat. She had a pair of headphones on her head, and was looking at multiple view screens, including one that showed Hank's point of view from a device lodged into a pair of hi-tech goggles she had provided him.

Xavier was sitting next to her, watching the view screens. Scott, Bobby and Piotr were all standing behind them, trying to get the best view they could.

"He's inside," said Moira. "Alright Hank, you're going to want to follow that vent thirty metres until you reach a junction point, where you'll make a left. Remember, your unique bone structure makes you apt for movement with minimal audibility. Don't be afraid to take your time if you think it will help you keep a low profile."

Hank lightly groaned as he moved further away from one of the open panels, as the light quickly drained from the vent. He then clicked a small button on the side of the goggles, activating the night-vision mode.

"Night-vision?!" exclaimed Bobby. "Building schematics? Wicked. What other super spy toys you got?"

Moira rolled her eyes. Hank continued to move down the vent, making the left turn as instructed.

"Okay, now . . . ."

"Wait," whispered Hank.

Hank pressed his ear against the bottom of the vent, listening to the sound of chatter coming from below.

". . . . that camp was filling up nicely. Reports coming in all over the state. People really want muties off the streets."

"Hah. Love it. Hey, when did you order the pizza? Cindy hasn't called. I'm starving!"

"Relax, Chambers. It's only been twenty minutes. You gotta give 'em a half hour at least."

"I hate waiting."

Hank inhaled and scratched his chin.

"Camp?"

"What is it, Hank?" asked Moira. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Moira directed Hank through the air vent system for another few minutes until he reached a dead end. The panel at the end was a grate, which he pulled out of place. Slinking through the new opening, he silently dropped into Kelly's office. The room was dark, with only the light of the streets and the moon outside providing any illumination.

Hank stepped up to the main computer, turning it on. He watched until it reached the login screen.

"Okay, I'm at the computer now."

"Look for a USB port," ordered Moira. "Plug in the decryption device I gave you. If my information about his operating system is correct, it should be able to get you in."

Hank reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small USB key. Plugging it into a slot, he then waited a few seconds. The screen then typed in a username and password, which came up as verified. Hank nodded with a grin.

"Nice work."

Scott scoffed.

"How much did SHIELD teach you?"

"A few things," answered Moira. "Now Hank, the device will also give you access to any secure files. Those are the ones we're looking for. I don't know exactly what you'll find, but try to get anything that can help us figure what's going on here.

"On it."

Hank opened up the documents section of the hard disk and began perusing through the files. After a couple of minutes of searching and clicking, he found something that caused him to raise an eyebrow.

"I have something . . . . it's an off-site server drive. Called the 'Essex Files'. Do you see it?"

"We see it, Hank," said Xavier.

"Opening it now."

Hank clicked on the server, and watched as the decryption key opened it up. He then widened his eyes upon seeing what was inside.

"Oh, my stars and garters."

"No. No . . . ."

-Mutant Experimentation Subject Files (Primary Subjects)-

-Marcus Daniels-

-Vanessa Carlysle-

-William Kaplan-

-Warren Worthington-

-Samuel Guthrie-

-Joshua Foley-

-Adriana Soria-

-Thomas Shepherd-

-Julian Keller-

-Christoph Nord-

-Rahne Sinclair-

-Alma Wade-

-Megan Gwynn-

-Barry Lloyd-

-Jeanne-Marie Beaubier-

-James Proudstar-

-Tabitha Smith-

-Noriko Ashida-

-Jean Grey-

-Mutant Experimentation Subject Files (Secondary Subjects)-

-Full Database (4059 Files)-

-Mutant Response Division-

-Video Files-

-Propaganda-

-Robert Kelly Information Packages-

-Gear and Manufacturing-

-Protocol Files-

-Registry-

-Genesis Camp Project-

-Primary Properties-

-Materials-

-Legal Files-

-Schematics-

-Expansion Options-

-Personnel List-

-Scheduling-

-Potential Future Sites-

-Pryor Project-

-Research Data-

-Wyndham Reports-

-Potential Candidates (13 Files)-

-Weapon Project-

-Sapphire Weapon-

Xavier closed his eyes.

"It's our worst nightmare."

"Genesis Camp?" asked Moira.

"This looks . . . . bad," said Bobby.

Piotr shook his head.

"Experimenting on mutants? Over four thousand files?!"

Hank exhaled.

"This proves that Kelly was planning the Mutant Response Division with another party from the start. The Sapphire Weapon attack was definitely a mock-up."

Scott gritted his teeth.

"Look. He has a file on Jean. Open it."

Hank clicked on Jean's file. Inside were multiple text documents detailing who she was, including information on the Institute.

"He's been watching us?" asked Bobby. "Shit."

"Seems like, whoever this 'Master' is, has been monitoring Jean since she arrived at the Institute," said Hank.

"Do they have any information on their whereabouts?" asked Xavier.

"Hold on. What's this? The Weapon Project."

Hank opened the file about the Sapphire Weapon.

-Sapphire Weapon-

-Jean-Paul Beaubier (Primary Subject)-

-Rejected Candidates-

-Mutant Power Analysis-

-Supplementary Augmentation-

-Reconditioning Protocols-

-Bodysuit Schematics-

-Video Files-

-Mission Data-

"Jean-Paul Beaubier?" asked Scott.

"Definitely sounds French," said Bobby. "Beaubier."

"Québécois, actually," said Moira. "I know I've heard that name before."

Hank opened the file and looked inside. He then began reading it out.

"Jean-Paul Beaubier, along with his twin sister, Jeanne-Marie, were major members of the 'Front de libération du Québec', otherwise known as the FLQ, a Canadian terrorist organization which operated between 1963 and 1970. The twins were implicated in both the bombing of the Montreal Stock Exchange and the October Crisis. When they were captured and later outed as mutants, they were denounced by both the FLQ and the Quebec government. They were jailed and were allegedly both killed in a prison riot in 1972."

"Look at that," said Moira. "Below the document. It's files on them after they were supposed to be dead."

"So, this 'Master' more than likely orchestrated the events of their deaths so that he could capture them and turn them into his own personal assassins," said Hank. "Diabolical."

"So we know his name," said Scott. "So what? He's not important. It's Jean we want. Go back to the file about the 'Genesis Camp', whatever that is."

"Wait, let me look at this," said Hank.

Hank opened up the 'Video Files' section under the Mutant Response Division folder. Opening the first file, a video window popped up, showing a dark room and a computer screen. A man was facing the computer, but only his arm could be seen. After a moment, a face appeared on the screen; a beautiful woman, with green hair, green eyes and green lipstick.

"Madame Hydra," said the man, with a raspy voice.

"Herr Sinister," replied the woman, with a German accent. "I haven't seen you in years. I must admit, you haven't aged a day."

"Neither have you, my lady."

"To what do I owe this call?"

"I have a proposition for you. As I recall, mutants are still one of Hydra's enemies, yes?"

"Of course. Those putrid monstrosities sicken me."

"I have a plan in action that will . . . . crack down, on the mutant problem. So to speak."

"Oh?"

"Within the coming months I will be working in tandem with Senator Robert Kelly of Massachusetts on setting up a anti-mutant police force. We cannot have actual officers on the roster for obvious reasons."

"You want me to send you a contingent?"

"They will be given false identities to cover up their allegiance, of course. I will send you an information package with all the details. I would need about five hundred of your operatives to populate the force. If things go according to plan, we should be able to expand across the country, and Hydra . . . . will have a President Robert Kelly in their pocket."

The woman chuckled and put on a devious grin.

"You always did drive a hard bargain, Essex. Send me the package. You'll get your police force."

"Pleasure, as always, Madame."

The video file closed. Xavier sighed.

"Hydra."

"Oh dear," said Hank, louder than he'd expected.

A loud knock was then heard at the door.

"Is someone in there?!"

Hank's eyes widened.

"Hank! Get the location on the Genesis Camp!"

Hank quickly open the 'Genesis Camp' files and looked through the data.

"Hank!"

"Breaching!"

Hank read the co-ordinates.

"Got it. I got it!"

The door burst open, and two MRD officers rushed in.

"Mutant! Stop him!"

"Hank!"

Hank turned around and leaped out the window, shattering the glass as the officers fired their assault rifles.


	9. Aerial Assault

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 9: Aerial Assault

"Hank!"

Piotr leaped out of his seat as soon as he heard the guards bashing on the door of Kelly's office through the screen. Running out the already extended loading ramp of the jet, he then vaulted over the edge of the roof, holding on with one hand. Seeing Hank crashing through the window, he dropped himself and reached out with both arms.

He wrapped his arms around Hank's body.

"Gotcha!"

Piotr threw his weight towards the ground as they fell. Multiple Mutant Response Division officers arrived at the smashed window, and began firing at them with their assault rifles.

"Moira!"

Moira pulled back on the throttle, lifting the jet into the air. Pulling away from the building, her eyes widened upon seeing the door to the roof smashing open, with several more MRD officers rushing out of it.

"X-Men!" shouted one of the officers. "Take them down!"

The last officer to exit through the door was a short officer wielding a military-grade, green-grey rocket launcher. Placing one knee on the ground, she aimed it at the nose of the jet and fired her rocket. Moira quickly jostled the control column to the left, causing the back thrusters to boost the jet to the side, barely dodging the rocket.

Bobby clung to his seat with both hands.

"Shoot back!" he shouted. "Shoot back!"

Steeling herself, Moira pressed the two blue buttons on the top of the control column, one with each thumb. The twin laser cannons retracted from the bottom of the jet, and fired a set of cyan energy blasts at the roof. The MRD troops scattered to avoid the shots. Moira fired three more rounds, singeing the rooftop and blowing away the officer with the rocket launcher.

Xavier pressed two fingers against his right temple.

_"Piotr! Can you hear me? Are you alright?"_

Xavier waited a few seconds for a telepathic response.

_"Yes, Professor. I'm okay."_

_ "What about Hank?"_

_ "He's breathing. I took the brunt of the fall, but we're under attack! We need help, right now!"_

_ "We're coming. Just hold on!"_

Xavier put his hand down.

"Piotr and Hank are on the ground. They're alive, but we need to extract them!"

"Got it," replied Moira.

Pulling back on the control column, Moira moved the jet and hovered slowly towards the ground. Scott looked out the window, and saw Piotr crouched, with his back to the building. He had his arms extended over Hank's body, shielding him from multiple streams of bullets, which were being fired by MRD officers at the broken window.

"Turn our back to the building!" yelled Scott.

Moira nodded and turned the control column. With the open back now facing the broken window, Scott pressed his visor, emitting an extended optical blast that knocked down the three officers at the window. More officers with rocket launchers approached the edge of the roof and fired rockets down at the jet. Reacting within a second, Scott shot them out the sky with laser blasts.

Xavier looked at Bobby.

"Bobby! Get them out of there!"

"Right!"

Bobby turned on his ice form and jumped out of the back of the jet. Skating down the wall of the building, he then pounced towards Piotr and Hank. Sliding under Piotr, he grabbed Hank with both arms, scooping him up and skating back towards the jet.

"Hey, heavy metal!" shouted Bobby. "We are leaving!"

Piotr nodded. Holding Hank's unconscious form over his shoulder with one arm, Bobby used his free hand to freeze a path back up to the jet's loading ramp. Piotr bent his knees before jumping upward, landing on the edge of the ramp.

"We're all in!" shouted Bobby. "Go, go, go!"

Moira pressed the button that sealed the ramp. Bobby placed Hank on the bench at the side of the main compartment. Piotr walked up to them.

"Hey, Hank!" said Bobby. "Beast? Furball?!"

Hank lay still, unresponsive to Bobby's prodding. Bobby sighed.

"Sorry about this, bud."

Bobby reached down and grasped Hank's hand with both of his. He then froze his hands so much that mist started to emanate from it. Hank then burst awake, panting as he tore his hand away from Bobby's.

"Oh, my . . . . t-t-that i-i-i-is f-f-frigid!"

Hank frantically rubbed his hands together. Piotr smiled. Bobby slapped Hank on the back of his shoulder. They were all then jostled by the jet sustaining heavy fire from the remaining MRD officers. Scott fell face first to the floor. Xavier held on to the back of Moira's chair.

"Moira, we . . . . up there! Look!"

Moira felt her heart skip a beat as she saw a dull green helicopter with the yellow MRD logo emblazoned on the side appear from around the side of the building. The pilot sneered as he pressed in a command on his control console.

"Target locked," said the pilot.

Squeezing the trigger, he watched as two synchronized rockets fired from the bottom of the helicopter. Moira again activated the thruster jets, boosting the craft up into the air. The rockets tried to turn to follow the jet, but ran into the side of the building, destroying a large, three-floor wide section of the exterior. Moira then pressed the blue buttons on the control column again, firing another set of twin lasers, this time at the connecting point between the main rotor and the body of the helicopter. Searing the metal and causing the bolts to melt, the explosion knocked the pilot against the left side of his cabin.

"Ergh! Nooooooo!"

The helicopter spun out, smoking from the top. Moira smirked as she activated the main jets, flying off into the night as the helicopter crashed against the building and was incinerated in a massive ball of flames which doused the building.

"Stealth mode re-engaged," said Moira.

Everyone in the jet let out a collective sigh of relief. Xavier then rolled up to Hank.

"Hank . . . . how are you feeling?"

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again," replied Hank. "Charles Dickens."

Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Eh, he'll be fine."

Hank sat up, grabbing at his side.

"I have . . . . ugh, have the co-ordinates for the Genesis Camp."

"You'll have more than that," said Moira. "Give me the drive."

Hank held out the USB key, and Scott took it from him. He then handed it to Moira, who plugged it into the main console on the jet's dashboard.

"What are you doing?" asked Piotr.

"With enough luck, hopefully getting as much intel as we need. The drive has automatic background programs that steal data when prompted. I turned them on when you accessed Kelly's off-site server."

"Damn," said Bobby. "You've been holding out on us."

Moira raised her eyebrow as she looked back at Bobby, before pulling open a compartment on her chair, which contained a SIG M11 pistol and a handful of ammunition magazines. Grabbing the pistol, she loaded it with one magazine before pulling open her lab coat and revealing a holster strap on her left thigh, over top her pants. Placing the pistol in the holster, she then pulled the collar of her coat forward, covering it again.

Bobby felt his jaw drop as she looked forward again, as the console screen filled with data. Piotr sat down on the chair next to Moira.

"Okay. We have some of the data on the mutant experiments, the Sapphire Weapon, and . . . . here we are. The co-ordinates."

"Such folly on my part," said Hank, chuckling to himself. "I memorized the co-ordinates for nothing."

"Looks like we're headed for . . . . hmmm. This is showing up as in the middle of Mount Grace Forest, far off from the hiking trails. Looks like they didn't want to be disturbed. Programming it in now."

Scott pressed his shoulder against the wall and looked over at Xavier.

"Professor. You said something about 'Hydra' back there. What is that?"

Xavier gulped and folded his hands together. Hank looked at Xavier with concern as he put his legs over the edge of the bench.

"I, uh . . . ."

"Hydra was an organization that existed as a special science and black ops division of Nazi Germany back in World War Two," explained Hank.

"Was?" asked Scott. "Past tense?"

Hank looked at Xavier again.

"As far as I knew, it was past tense."

Xavier looked down. Bobby folded his arms.

"Professor?"

"Hydra," started Xavier, "had a motto when they first started out. It was based on the ancient Greek mythological creature, known as the Lernaean Hydra, from which they took their name. A sea creature; an enormous beast, with many heads of snakes. It was fought by Heracles, the great divine hero. The son of Zeus, king of Olympus, the realm of the gods. The motto was the Hydra's main power. Cut off one head, and two more shall takes its place."

Moira turned her chair towards Xavier. Everyone was watching the Professor.

"Contrary to what many believed, Hydra survived the fall of Nazi Germany. They lived on, as a secretive terrorist group determined to rule the world from the shadows. They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even dipping into some sources of knowledge that most would consider to be . . . . disturbing. I thought I'd heard the last of them."

Hank stood up.

"You've encountered them? Where?"

Xavier gulped again.

"Vietnam. The same place I met Magneto."

The colour drained from Moira's face.

"Hydra was secretly aiding the Viet Cong forces against the United States. So few knew about it that most people just considered it rumour. As did I, at first. Then I met Erik, and everything changed. He explained to me how Hydra raided his village, slaughtered his family, just for being Jewish . . . . in 1947."

"Two years after the war was over," said Hank.

"Yes. The Allies thought the Axis were completely defeated . . . . but Hydra lived on. Slowly regaining their power and forces, all in the hopes of one day reigniting their dream of absolute tyranny. I fought them alongside Erik . . . . and during my last battle, I . . . ."

Xavier placed his hand on the wheel of his chair. He took a few moments before continuing.

"I came home believing they were gone for good. That my sacrifice meant something. It appears now that Hydra's motto is more apt than I'd anticipated."

Scott turned to Moira.

"Do you know anything about this? Does SHIELD know?"  
"I don't know everything SHIELD knows, Scott. I was brought in because of my work on mutants. I had heard rumours about Hydra possibly existing in some new form, but I didn't know it was anything like this."

"Wait, so . . . . the MRD . . . . are Nazis?!" asked Bobby.

"You have to understand, the world has changed," answered Xavier. "The organization has changed. Even in the mid-70's when I fought them, they were not the same Hydra that existed back then. They no longer followed a political movement, or even a nationality. The pursuit of power, of total world domination . . . . it had become a philosophy unto itself. Hydra had its roots in Nazism, yes . . . . but they had evolved into something completely their own. They didn't say 'Heil Hitler'."

Hank raised an eyebrow.

"They said 'Hail Hydra'."

Scott fumed before slamming his fist against his other open hand.

"I don't care if they Hail Caesar. They're working with Kelly. They're experimenting on mutants, and they have Jean. They're going down."

* * *

"So Senator, what do you think?"

His hands behind his back, Kelly walked up to the window overlooking the main courtyard of the complex. He felt a smile creep onto his face as he saw hundreds of mutants in chains and collars, being corralled into various building by the MRD officers. Concrete walls formed the outer perimeter, with guard towers at the vertices equipped with spotlights and armed snipers.

Sinister and Laura walked up to opposite sides of Kelly. The Sapphire Weapon was in the back corner, with his arms folded.

"It's magnificent, Doctor."

"I don't take all the credit. All three of us put this together."

Laura laughed to herself, checking her sniper rifle.

"A modern day concentration camp," she said. "I've dreamed about running one of these since I was just a little girl."

"Once we have the necessary push, we'll be able to set up new facilities in Delaware and Nebraska," explained Sinister. "And once we have you in the oval office . . . . every state in the country will have its own Genesis Camp."

Kelly nodded and grinned and he put his hands in his pockets. After a few seconds, an officer ran into the room.

"Captain Brown!"

Laura turned to face him.

"What is it, Petransky?"

"Ma'am! We just got a call from the Senator's headquarters. The X-Men attacked."

Kelly's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"They may have . . . ."

Petransky was interrupted by the sound of an alarm. Sinister glared through the window. A female voice was heard over the loudspeaker.

"Proximity alert has been activated! Repeat! Proximity alert has been activated!"

Kelly looked through the window, seeing the X-Jet firing lasers at one of the guard towers. Fuming, Sinister turned to Laura.

"Deal with them."

Laura nodded and pulled the bolt action handle on her rifle.


	10. Camp Fear

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 10: Camp Fear

"Well, so much for stealth. They must have advanced sensors!"

Piotr got up and looked through the windshield, seeing several soldiers on the guard tower and concrete walls shooting at the jet. Moira fired back with the twin lasers.

"Proximity alert has been activated! Repeat! Proximity alert has been activated!"

"This place must be destroyed," said Xavier.

"Open the back," said Piotr. "I'll keep them busy!"

Bobby burst up out of his chair.

"I'm going with you!"

Piotr turned to Bobby and nodded. Moira flicked one of the switches on her console, opening the loading ramp. Scott held up a hand in front of them.

"Get down there, and try to help as many of those mutants as you can," ordered Scott.

"What about me?" asked Hank. "You're not counting me out of this one."

"Wasn't planning on it. You're coming with me. Two teams. You and me, and Moira and the Professor. We're heading for the control centre, and we're going to see if we can find Kelly, or whoever else is in charge."

"Agreeable."

Piotr rushed to the edge of the ramp.

"Enough talk! Let's see how they handle a Russian airdrop!"

Piotr lunged off the ramp, holding his fists over his head. When he landed on the ground in the middle of the complex, he slammed his fists down, sending out a shockwave that knocked away several of the MRD officers. Yelling into the air, he then ran forward and punched away the nearest officer as more shot at him.

Bobby was about to jump off the ramp when Scott put a hand on his shoulder.

"Bobby."

Bobby turned to look at him.

"Good luck," said Scott.

Bobby exhaled and nodded before steeling himself and turning around. Jumping forward, he skated down the air, tossing ice blasts as he spiralled his way towards the ground. The ice blasts struck MRD officers in the chests, knocking them out. A commanding officer at the front of the pack extended his right arm, equipping an electrified club attached to his wrist.

"Units Two and Three!" shouted the officer. "Equip riot weapons and engage! Unit Four! Get the prisoners back!"

Two dozen officers equipped their electrified clubs. The rest of the nearby officers began hurriedly pushing the remaining mutants into the bunkers. Piotr gritted his teeth.

"Not today!"

Piotr charged forward, barrelling down on the line of officers. Smashing through a squad of three, he stampeded towards a group of chained mutants. Several of the officers lashed out with their clubs and struck at Piotr's skin, causing him to seize up in pain as the electricity rippled across his metal body.

"Colossus!"

Bobby shook off a handful of bullets shot at him, which bounced off his frozen form. Kicking away the closest officer, Bobby then skated up and around Piotr, emitting a continuous ice beam which froze the legs of the officers who were attacking him. As the officers stopped moving, Piotr pushed past them, still running towards the line of chained mutants.

An officer holding the mutants pulled out his pistol to shoot at Piotr, but was too slow and punched to the side. Piotr then swung his fist the other way, smashing it against the head of another officer, splitting his helmet in half. Two more officers activated their arm-mounted energy shields, trying to block his blows. Instead, Piotr's enraged flurry of punching strikes shattered the bones in their wrists, causing them to shriek in pain and flop to the ground, incapacitated.

Taking and deflecting more bullets off his skin, Piotr kicked the last guard away, snapping her ribcage with the impact. He then took a moment to exhale. The guard he kicked was on her back, flailing about and groaning in agony. Piotr stood above her, looking down.

"Don't mess with the mutants," he said, leaving her to writhe on the ground.

Bobby slid on the ground over to him, and reached for the nearest mutant in the chain, who was a young Japanese girl with blue hair. Bobby reached out and grabbed at her handcuffs.

"What's your name?" asked Bobby.

"Uh . . . . N-Noriko."

Bobby's hand froze the handcuffs, snapping them in half.

"Noriko, huh? Well, you're welcome in advance for setting you free."

Bobby then grabbed the collar around her neck, freezing and shattering it. Noriko massaged her neck, which had bruises, gashes and multiple injection marks.

"Thank you," whispered Noriko.

Bobby nodded and grabbed at the chain-link attached to the rest of the mutants in the line, freezing and breaking all their bonds at once. The ten mutants all smiled, their eyes lighting up.

"You want to thank us for this?" asked Bobby. "Then help us trash this place!"

"But . . . . who are you?" asked another mutant.

Bobby waited for a moment as a twin laser blast flew overhead, incinerating another guard tower. He smirked at the sound of the explosion.

"Us? Well . . . . we're the X-Men. Duh."

* * *

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

Swinging downward on an overhead beam, Hank kicked the two MRD guards from behind, catapulting them both against the nearby concrete wall. With them knocked out, he then softly landed on the floor. Scott turned the corner behind him and stood next to Hank. He eyed the door in front of them, which had a small panel to the side of it, with a key card slot and a red light.

"It appears we need a key to be granted entry."

Scott snorted before firing an intense optical blast at the door, blowing it open. He calmly walked in without responding. Hank shrugged.

"Or, we could do that."

The room was faintly lit, only by a couple of dim lamps and a computer monitor at a corner desk. It was a lab, with several tables all placed in a parallel formation, and various experiment beakers and test tubes strewn about. A water tank was situated on the far left side of the room, with multiple electric eels swimming about in murky, blue-green water. A sticker label attached to the tank read 'Property of Oscorp Industries'.

Hank closed one eye and scratched his chin as he stared at some of the small, organic specimens in their containers. The one right in front of him was a four centimetre wide ball of grey mush, with six tiny, worm-like tentacles sticking out from it, sloshing about in the fluid filled container.

"Fascinating."

"Come on, we have to . . . ."

Scott paused as he looked at the video being played on the computer monitor. Sucking in a breath, he slowly moved around a table and stood in front of it. Hank looked over his shoulder and then followed to where Scott was. Silently, they both watched the video. A marker was situated on top of the footage, at the bottom left of the screen.

P. Project, C. Trial. Subject Thirteen.

The footage was grainy, with both flickering and glare present. The low-quality of the image was not helped by the poor lighting of the room it showed, with only a single overhead light shining down on the subject in the middle. It was a bulbous, sickly, yellow sac, about a metre in diameter. Strands of thick, glistening webbing of the same colour covered it, attaching it to the floor in numerous locations.

The sac was gestating, and eventually began to crease. Splitting open, it emanated a large amount of grey dust and spores upward, into the room. A single, fleshy, beige mass, covered in slime and mucus, started to pull itself out of the split in the sac. After a few seconds of struggle, it released itself, pushing into view.

It had long, red hair.

The mass had the shape of a female human, with its naked breasts and stomach in full view. Gelatinous fluid creeped down its skin, giving it a kind of unnatural glow. Sticking out its arms, it then pulled a flab of skin off of the place where its face was, revealing itself.

It had green eyes.

Scott felt his mouth hang open.

"What the hell . . . .?"

"It can't be . . . ."

The creature stared at the camera for a few more seconds and hissed before the video cut out. Hank gulped, looking over at Scott, who had a stern, unmoving face. Their silence was broken by the sound of a feminine scream in the distance.

"Jean."

Scott ran towards the other side of the room, shoulder charging through the door and breaking it off its hinges. He found himself in a hallway bridge between two buildings of the complex, with the side walls made of transparent glass. He could see the battle between the freed mutants and the MRD officers in the distant courtyard, but paid it no mind, continuing to run down the hall. Hank followed behind, running on all fours to catch up.

As Scott made it to the door at the end of the hall, it automatically opened, receding into the ceiling. Stopping as he made it a few paces into the room, he looked around the large, dimly lit hall. At the far end was a large, draped chair, with a man sitting in it. He had ghostly white skin, with a red diamond tattooed on his forehead. His suit was stripped black, and had the appearance of glistening flesh. Several strand-like capes extended up from his shoulders, covering his back. He had a short, black haircut, and crimson eyes without a trace of humanity in them.

Sinister leaned back and grinned, folding his hands together.

"Scott Summers."

Scott slowed his breathing as Hank reached him, standing at his side. The door closed behind him.

"Who are you?"

Sinister sat forward, putting one of his elbows on his knee.

"I know who I am, Scott. The real question is . . . . who are you?"

* * *

Moira walked into the observation room first, noticing that there was only one person there. Xavier rolled in behind her. The man was staring out the window, with his hands behind his back.

"Senator," said Xavier.

Kelly turned around to face the two, with narrowed eyes. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before responding.

"Charles Xavier. The man of the hour. I was told to expect you and your hit squad."

"They're my students."

"And what do you teach them? Breaking and entering? Murder? Domestic terrorism?"

Moira grumbled under her breath, but Xavier gestured for her to stay put.

"That's right," said Kelly. "You just keep back your little Scottish SHIELD bitch back."

Xavier furrowed his brow.

"Oh, you thought we didn't know about that?" asked Kelly, chuckling. "We knew all about it. It's part of the reason we had to up our timetable. Obviously you can figure out that we didn't wait until it was legal to build this camp, but, we were in a bit of a rush, so, it's not technically fully finished."

"And it never will be, Senator," said Xavier. "This ends now."

Xavier pressed two fingers to his temple, closing his eyes. Kelly grinned. After a moment, Xavier groaned and opened his eyes in shock.

"Your mind . . . . it's . . . ."

"Having some trouble, Professor?"

Kelly chuckled again, tapping his temple with his knuckles.

"Special implants, courtesy of my benefactor, Doctor Essex. Or as he, prefers, Mister Sinister."

Moira tilted her head to the side.

"Mister Sinister?"

Kelly scoffed before continuing, folding his arms.

"He has an eye for the theatrical, that one, but you can't argue with his results. Psi-blockers, fully capable of stopping any kind of psychic probe or attack. Thus making you, Professor Xavier, obsolete."

"Sinister is using you, Senator," started Xavier. "We've seen his files. He doesn't want to kill mutants. He wants to perform experiments on them."

"Of course he does. I knew that going in. But dead, in custody, what does it matter? Soon enough, mutants will be off the streets of my state, and as we expand, so too will they wiped off the map of the entire country. And if I get a term of the Presidency out of it, who am I to complain about the technicalities?"

"You're insane," said Moira.

"You act like I care about your opinions," responded Kelly. "You have no power here."

Kelly reached for the top drawer of the desk near him, pulling out a revolver.

"And without any powers . . . . well, you can't really defend yourself, can you, Professor?"

Kelly aimed the gun at Xavier. Moira instantly pulled her pistol out of its holster and fired a shot through Kelly's heart. The shot stunned him, and he coughed, dropping his gun. Gritting her teeth, Moira fired another shot, this time in the middle of his chest. The second shot knocked him to the ground, and he coughed out a final breath.

Xavier looked at her as she slowly lowered her pistol, with a frown on her face.

* * *

Noriko shouted as she opened both of her palms, emitting a large net of electric blasts, which shocked three of the MRD officers. The chaotic battle in the courtyard had spilled across the whole facility, as dozens of mutants were battling hundreds of officers. Energy blasts, flames, shockwaves, bullets, rockets and grenades filled the air.

One of the MRD tanks exploded after being covered in fire, and a nearby officer shouted into her earpiece.

"We need heavy fire support, now!"

Throwing another officer off of a mutant who had been tackled to the floor, Piotr then looked up to see a dropship flying overhead. A metallic object dropped off the bottom of it, and landed on the ground with a shockwave so massive that it cracked the ground for several metres, shaking the entire complex.

The object was a heavily armoured battle mech, standing two metres tall. It had a humanoid shape, but most of its mass was taken up by the top section, which was a torso with a glass windshield, showing an officer piloting it. One of its arms had a heavy cannon with an attached missile launcher, and the other had a dual-pronged claw. The entire mech had a green and gold colour scheme.

The pilot, whose face was covered with a full mask, activated the controls.

"Kraken-class riot mech activated," said the pilot.

The pilot looked at Piotr.

"Priority target acquired. Engaging X-Men."

The mech lumbered forward, firing tank shells from its heavy cannon. Piotr dodged the first but was struck by the second, and the crushing blow sent him flying backwards against the wall of a bunker. The torso section then began firing streams of bullets at the nearby mutants, cutting down four of them. Bobby, after knocking out another officer with an ice blast, looked over his shoulder to see the mech attacking the mutants. Gasping, he then began skating towards it.

* * *

A metallic rack on wheels rolled into view, at Sinister's right side. It was a piece of scientific equipment, holding Jean to it, her arms extended at her sides by clamps. A shiny helmet with several coloured tubes and wires attached to it adorned her head, which was facing downward. Her eyes were closed. Then, the Sapphire Weapon walked into view from Sinister's left.

"Jean."

Moaning in exhaustion, Jean pulled up her head, with her eyes barely able to stay open.

"S . . . . S-Scott . . . ."

"Let her go!"

Hank's eyes widened.

"Scott, no!"

Scott roared and rushed forward, reaching his hand for his visor. The Weapon burst up to him, elbowing him in the chest before backhanding him, knocking him away. Scott landed on the ground near Hank, who crouched to help him. Sinister laughed as the Weapon calmly stepped back into place. Hank helped Scott to his feet.

Wiping his mouth, Scott stared at the Weapon.

"We know who you are, Jean-Paul," said Scott. "Why not show yourself, coward?!"

Sinister grinned and sat back again. The Weapon turned to look at him. Sinister nodded in response. The Weapon then looked at Scott again as the mask broke apart and receded into the suit, revealing his face. Scott gasped and was silent for several seconds before speaking.

"Alex."


	11. Revelations

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 11: Revelations

"I-I . . . . but I don't . . . . n-no, no, no, i-it can't . . . ."

Alex narrowed his eyes, staring at Scott, who shook his head side to side.

"Well, it look like a family reunion is in order," said Sinister.

"No. This . . . . this isn't you," stammered Scott, pointing a finger directly at Alex. "You were . . . . you're dead. I watched you die!"

"Did you really?" asked Sinister. "Or did you just watch him fall . . . . and never saw him again?"

"W-well, I . . . . no, no. This, this isn't . . . ."

"Scott," interrupted Hank, "could it be true?"

Scott looked away and then back at Alex, who hadn't moved.

"I . . . . I don't know."

Jean breathed in and out, each breath heavily laboured. Scott put his hand on his forehead. Sinister basked as everyone was silent for a few moments. Scott finally gulped and looked back at him.

"You . . . . what have you done?"

Scott took a step forward.

"Who are you?!"

"You really don't remember, do you?" asked Sinister.

"Remember what?! What are you talking about? Give me a straight answer, now!"

"If you insist. Ask, and I shall answer."

"How is my brother alive?"

Sinister stood up from the chair and took a few steps forward.

"Alex never perished the day your family's flight crashed. In spite of what you might have believed, he actually did manage to activate his parachute in time. Still, he did land in the middle of a mountain range known for its hostile weather and tendency for avalanches. I found him . . . . and saved him. He's been in my care ever since . . . . and so had you."

"What?"

"Tell me, Scott . . . ."

"How do you know who I am?!" interrupted Scott. "Was it from spying on the X-Men? So you could get to Jean?!"

"Jean?" chortled Sinister. "No. I didn't even realize that Ms. Grey was going to be useful until fairly recently. My initial interest in the X-Men was because of you."

"Me?"

Hank put his hand on Scott's shoulder and stepped past him.

"You still haven't told us who you are," said Hank. "Although I theorize that the 'Essex Files' were named after you."

"Good eye, Doctor McCoy. Yes, my name is . . . . well, was . . . . Nathaniel Essex."

Hank narrowed his eyes.

"Nathaniel Essex? Wait . . . . I've heard that name."

"Given your interest in biology, I certainly hoped you would have."

"There was a Nathaniel Essex who . . . . who was a colleague of Charles Darwin. A contemporary. But that was back in the nineteenth century. A descendant?"

"The very same."

Hank shook his head.

"But that would . . . . you would have to be over a hundred and fifty years old! That can't be possible!"

Sinister laughed to himself.

"That seems to be recurring theme in this conversation."

Hank took a couple of slow steps back, his jaw dropped.

"You're . . . . you're serious."

"Of course I am. I am the same Nathaniel Essex who met the great Professor Darwin back in London, although I go by Mister Sinister now. I am also the very same man who realized that the . . . . practice of his theories was far too restrained. I sought to take them to the next level . . . . to advance human evolution in ways many thought either impossible, impractical . . . . or, at their most pitiful, unethical."

Sinister snorted. He turned around for a few steps, holding his hands out while speaking.

"But what do they have to say about it now? They're all long dead, but because of my work, I live on."

Sinister put down his arms and turned back towards Scott and Hank.

"What do you want with me?" asked Scott.

"Wanted. Past tense. I initially wanted to bring you back into the fold. The family. But as I was watching you and the Professor's precious X-Men, I realized that the true prize was your little girlfriend, Ms. Grey. The gifts that she possesses are nothing short of extraordinary. Telekinesis is rare enough, but telepathy as well? The chance of such a combination is so low, that I highly doubt any other mutant who will ever exist will be the same. The sheer scale of her powers . . . . necessitated her restraints, and the psionic blockers."

Scott fumed, clenching his fists. Jean tried to look up, but winced and let her head fall down again.

"Ugh . . . ."

"And of course, if I really wanted to perform experiments with you, I could just use the genetic material I already have."

"Already have?" asked Hank, his eyes widening.

"How could you . . . ." started Scott.

"Tell me, Scott, when did your powers first manifest?"

Scott looked down for a moment.

"The day I destroyed the orphanage."

Sinister put a hand on his chin, exhaling.

"Hmmm. It appears that the memory alteration is as in-depth as I suspected. Disappointing, but not unforeseen."

"What are you talking about?"

Sinister put his hands behind his back, and began pacing side to side in front of Scott.

"The event you mentioned . . . . the destruction of the orphanage. It was called the State Home for Foundlings. It was a facility in Nebraska. A facility I owned."

"What?"

"Your powers did not manifest that day, Scott Summers. That was simply the day that your mind could not take the conditioning any longer. You recall that your brother's codename was the Sapphire Weapon? Well . . . . he was not the only one. He is the second in the 'Weapon' line. The prototype went by a different name."

Scott inhaled.

"The Ruby Weapon."

"Ruby?" whispered Hank.

"Alex's energy projection and constructs are blue. A consistent and seemingly random colour is an inherent quality of any mutant with such powers. The name Sapphire was appropriate. Scott's colour meanwhile, was red. Thus, Ruby."

"I was . . . . a Weapon?"

"The first. Yes. Your powers manifested at the age of fourteen, back when you were under my care. At the time, you were the most powerful mutant child I had in my inventory. I was running low on options and test subjects for my experiments, so I opted for a new route. Complete mental conditioning and control; an indoctrinated agent, with a suit that both enhanced mutant abilities and ensured the subject's coercion. An agent who could deployed into the field, both to deal with my enemies and to abduct more subjects for my work. You were my knight."

Scott looked down at his hands. Jean tried again to look up.

"The problem is that the mental conditioning takes a toll on the sanity of the individual. As I exerted more and more control, the dominant personality tried harder and harder to overcome it. Eventually, it led to your mind becoming so fractured that it expelled the conditioning in a fit of rage. It's the same reason that Alex here was listed under the name Jean-Paul Beaubier."

Hank put his hand on his chin.

"Beaubier was a subject I had a while ago, whom I had mapped the consciousness of in a previous experiment. In my second attempt at the Weapon project, I realized that the best way to ensure the conditioning would not rupture the psyche of the subject was for it to not target the subject itself, but rather, an implanted personality. Alex completely believes that he is Jean-Paul Beaubier in every sense, down to only being able to speak in Beaubier's native French dialect. With the conditioning having taken hold of the Beaubier personality, and Alex Summers being a suppressed consciousness, I created a stable and controllable Weapon. No more outbursts, like the night you destroyed the orphanage."

"I . . . . I don't remember any of this."

"Of course you don't. Xavier made sure of that."

Scott looked up.

"The Professor?"

"There's quite a bit you don't know about Charles Xavier, Scott. After all, that's what he wanted when he met you. He wanted you not to know. To fumble about in ignorance, so that you wouldn't question. So that you would obey."

Hank took a step forward, pointing at Sinister.

"If you have something to say about the Professor . . . ."

"Don't you wonder why you are unable to remember any of the events that I've been referencing? Yet notice how you haven't been questioning them. Somehow, somewhere, buried in your psyche . . . . you know I'm speaking the truth."

"Why can't I remember?"

"Because when Xavier met you that day in that cell in the police station . . . . he didn't just recruit you. He entered your mind . . . . and wiped certain memories from it."

Scott felt all of the colour flush from his face.

"He used his powers to shape your memory so that you would be willing to join his cause, Scott. Your entire life after that night at the orphanage has been based on a lie."

Sinister walked away and returned to his seat as Scott looked down, visibly shaken by his newfound knowledge. Hank held onto his shoulders as Scott fell to his knees.

* * *

"Get away from him!"

Bobby jumped into the air, holding his left hand over his head. Enraged and livid with energy, a sharp ice sword formed around his left arm. Shouting and throwing his arm forward, he stabbed the Kraken mech with it, piercing the green and gold armour plating, forming multiple cracks. The pilot growled reached out with the clawed arm.

The claws clamped together, Bobby was punched in the chest by the arm, knocking him off.

"Ugh!"

Rolling backward with the force of the blow, Bobby landed back on his feet, crouched. The mech then unleashed a hail storm of bullets from its machine gun turrets. Acting as fast as he could, Bobby threw up an ice shield, deflecting hundreds of shots. He strained his muscles as he felt his shield start to buckle and crack under the weight of the barrage.

"Colossus! Could use some of your smackdown power right about now! Like, now now!"

Breaking free of the wall that he was wedged into, Piotr roared and charged towards the mech. The pilot tried to turn and intercept, but Piotr was too fast, ramming his shoulder against the mech's profile. The sound of crunching metal was heard as the mech staggered backwards from the attack. It then grabbed Piotr's arm with its claw and rammed him in return.

Letting his shield fall apart, Bobby threw both of his palms forward, unleashing a massive ice beam that began covering the entire mech in frost. As it slowed down and tried to attack again, it fired a salvo of missiles which Bobby dodged by skating around them. The mech's speed crippled, Piotr then landed a double overhead hammerfist on the front end, shattering the windshield.

The mech exploded, and Piotr was knocked back, but did not lose his footing. Bobby skated up to him, high-fiving him as he slid past.

* * *

In the distance, Laura fired another round from her sniper rifle, shooting a mutant through the skull. She watched as the mech was destroyed, and saw more and more of her officers being defeated by the freed mutants. Scowling, she opened her wrist module and typed in a string of numbers.

"Eight dash four oh seven," she said. "Command code authorize."

The module turned green in response. An alarm was then heard from the loudspeaker.

"The self-destruct sequence has been activated. Repeat. The self-destruct sequence has been activated. This sequence may not be aborted. All employees proceed to emergency evacuation areas immediately."

Laura turned and ran down the catwalk towards the nearest building of the complex.

* * *

"The self-destruct sequence has been activated. Repeat. The self-destruct sequence has been activated. This sequence may not be aborted. All employees proceed to emergency evacuation areas immediately."

Moira looked up and around as the alarm sounded. She then looked out the window to see dozens of people in the courtyard running for the exits. Xavier exhaled.

"Time to leave."

Moira nodded, and rushed for the door, with Xavier following behind.

* * *

"The self-destruct sequence has been activated. Repeat. The self-destruct sequence has been activated. This sequence may not be aborted. All employees proceed to emergency evacuation areas immediately."

Sinister darted his eyes around the room. In that instant, Scott's eyes flared as he fired a beam right at Jean's restraints. The beam was wide enough to rip at Sinister's side, gashing his flesh and melting a chunk of it off, leaving a thick, green residue.

"Gyaaaaaagh!"

Sinister reached for his side in pain, keeling over. The beam tore through the metal and wires holding Jean to the apparatus, and she fell out of it. Alex then jerked his head forward, and his mask fit back over his face. Charging both of his hands with blue energy, he aimed them at Scott.

Hank's eyes widened as he pushed Scott out of the way.

"Scott!"

Alex's charged beam struck Hank in the chest, burning him. The concussive force of the beam sent him flying through the air, and he crashed against the door, bursting through it. He landed back in the suspended hallway and passed out.

"Hank!"

Sinister limped back to his chair, wincing as he did so.

"That stupid bitch is going to pay for this," groaned Sinister.

Sitting back down, he jammed his fist against a button on the left hand armrest. A defensive bubble shield formed around the chair.

"Launch sequence initiated," said the loudspeaker voice.

Jean looked up as Scott yelled and fired an optical blast at Sinister, but it was deflected by the orb shield.

"Sapphire Weapon," said Sinister. "I have the materials I need. Dispose of them!"

Sinister's orb, attached to a metallic arm, then lifted into the air, through the ceiling and out of sight, towards the command deck. Alex nodded and looked back at Scott.

"Sa serait mon plaisir."

The entire room lurched as it began lifting into the air. Looking around, Scott realized that the building was actually a hangar for the ship he saw earlier; the massive grey one in the shape of a magnet. He then looked back at his brother.

"Alex . . . ."

Alex charged forward, propelled by the suit's implants. He landed a punch across Scott's jaw, knocking him down against the floor. Jean pushed herself off the floor, onto her elbows, breathing heavily as she did so.

"Vous avez faillis la dernière fois. Comment vous penser me battre?"

Alex kicked Scott in the stomach, flipping him over. Scott moaned as he grabbed at his bruised ribs. Alex stood over him, the blue line in his visor glowing, watching Scott struggle to breathe.

"I d-don't want to fight you, Alex . . . ."

Alex growled, reaching down and grasping Scott around the throat. Holding him up with one arm, he scowled under his mask as he watched Scott claw at his arm for breath.

"Mon nom est Jean-Paul Beaubier!"

"Aygh . . . . ugh . . . . n-no . . . . no . . . . A-Alex . . . ."

Alex squeezed harder on Scott's throat. As Jean watched this, small tufts of fire appeared over her pupils for a brief moment. She then stood up and screamed, firing a psionic blast at Alex. Striking him in the back, the blast stunned him enough to let go of Scott, who fired a quick optical beam at Alex's feet. The beam caused him to tumble onto his back.

Scott and Jean barely had time to get their bearings before Alex recovered and performed a spin kick on the ground, knocking them both off balance. Jean quickly performed an aerial recover and hovered over Alex, while Scott stumbled and tried to regain his footing. Alex leaped up and charged both of hands with blue energy, pointing one at each of them.

Jean put forth a barrier to absorb Alex's attack, while Scott dodged the other beam, which blew a hole in the side of the ship.

* * *

Laura grumbled under her breath as she held on to the side of the helicopter. Petransky and a female pilot were already sitting inside it. Laura narrowed her eyes, watching Sinister's ship fly off into the distance, before seeing an explosion rock the exterior. She exhaled before looking back at the pilot.

"Get us out of here."

"Yes, ma'am."

The helicopter lifted off the helipad.. Scowling and looking down at the forested area around the camp, she saw hundreds of people, officers and mutants alike, escaped from the complex's confines. She then watched as the X-Jet flew after Sinister's ship. Spitting into the air, she ripped the golden MRD pin off her uniform with her free hand, flipping it into the air with her thumb.

As her helicopter flew off, the pin landed back on the helipad. It had turned over, revealing the other side, which had a symbol composed of a skull and six tentacles protruding from it.

* * *

Piotr grabbed the back of Moira's chair as she piloted the jet. Bobby stood beside him, holding onto an overhead latch. Xavier sat in his chair, parked at Moira's side.

"Closing in on the ship," said Moira. "You sure they're in there?"

Hank, clutching his chest, walked up behind them. He had bandages wrapped around his torso, which had been soaked in alcohol to alleviate his burns.

"Positive," said Hank. "I-It . . . . ugh . . . . took off . . . . right in front of me."

Bobby turned to look at Hank. He then rushed to him and held him up, placing his hand on the bandaged area. His hand turned to ice as he pressed against Hank's wounds.

"Let me help you with that, brain trust," said Bobby. "Sit back down."

"It appears that you helping me with injury is a recurring event this evening."

"Yeah. It's what friends do, genius."

Moira's eyes widened upon seeing an explosion rip a hole in the hull of Sinister's ship. Smoke began emanating from it.

"That can't be good," said Piotr.

* * *

"User alert! Hull breach detected! Internal integrity compromised."

Alex heaved Scott over his shoulder, throwing him at Jean. This knocked her out of the air, and she had the air ripped from her lungs as they crashed into the floor.

"Eugh!"

Alex charged them again, trying to land a dropkick, but Scott dodged the attack and punched him twice across the face. Alex quickly regained control, grabbing Scott's arm and palm striking him in the gut. Scott recoiled as Jean flew overhead, trying to land an aerial dive kick. Alex quickly changed positions to catch her leg before effortlessly tossing her behind him.

Using the moment that he was looking away, Scott rushed for Alex, screaming as he did so. He shoved him with the full force of his body, pushing him against the wall. Alex coughed upon being slammed, and Scott then reached around his neck and put him in a choke hold. Lifting his legs in the air, Alex placed his feet against the wall and pushed back, sending the two into the open space, but Scott held on.

"Jean! I got an idea!"

Alex began charging both of his wrist gauntlets, but Jean opened both her palms. She used her telekinesis to crush the gloves, mangling Alex's hands as he shrieked.

"Sorry about this," said Scott.

"Mon tabarnac jva te décalisser la yeule, calice!"

Scott dug his fingers into the sockets of the helmet, pulling with both hands as Alex continued to yell. After a few moments, the helmet gave way, and Scott ripped it off Alex's head, exposing it completely. As he let go of the choke hold, Scott looked to Jean.

"Jean! Astral plane! Now!"

Jean nodded and used her astral form to assault Alex's mind, which was now defenseless. As he had no psychic ability, it took little effort for her to use her telepathy to overpower and shatter his form on the astral plane.

Alex's mortified scream filled the air as he grabbed at his temples with both hands. Jean returned to her body, and watched as Alex writhed back and forth in agony.

"Alex!" called Scott. "Alex! Can you hear me?"

Alex responded by shouting wildly and charging his palms with so much energy that they disintegrated the gloves completely. With his bare hands teeming with rippling energy fields, he fired them into the air, tearing apart several pieces of the ship and causing multiple fires. The ship lurched at the new damages.

"User alert! Catastrophic system failure! Reactor core critically damaged. Multiple hull breaches detected. Life support systems failing."

Scott reached out and grabbed Alex, locking his arms around both of his shoulders. Alex thrashed back and forth, emitting nothing but guttural sounds and screams. Another beam hit Jean, knocking her back against some flaming crates.

"No!" shouted Scott

"Gyaaaaaaaaargh!"

"Alex, listen to me . . . ."

"No!"

"It's me, Scott. Do you hear me?"

"Egh . . . . mon nam est . . . ."

"No! Your name is Alex Summers!"

"Argh!"

"Alex, you know me. I'm your brother!"

"NO!"

Tears streaming down his face, Alex jerked his body forward, smashing his face against one of the metal columns attached to the wall. Tearing out of Scott's grapple hold, he turned around but did not retaliate, looking at him with fear and confusion in his eyes.

"You know me."

Alex shook his head.

"Yes, you do. I'm your brother. Scott."

"No . . . . no!"

"Alex . . . . I'm not fighting you. I won't. Because no matter what happens, we're family."

Alex's eyes widened as he stared into Scott's. After several seconds, he tilted his head to the side and the lines around his eyes softened.

"Sc . . . . S-Scott?"

The growing fire dislodged pieces of metal from the ceiling, sending them down on top of the two boys. Scott yelled in pain as a half-melted metal bar fell against his back, but then gasped as he saw Alex getting knocked back by the crashing debris. He stumbled backwards, falling out of the hull breach. Scott yelled and lunged forward, reaching out with his left arm.

Scott groaned as he grabbed Alex's wrist, all of his weight on one arm. Alex hyperventilated and struggled, desperately trying to reach out for something else to grab on to. Scott looked down at his brother, and saw the fear in his eyes.

"Listen to me, Alex . . . . I'm going to get you out of this! I'm not losing you this time. You hear me?!"

"Scott! H-Help me!"

Scott strained all of his muscles trying to pull Alex up.

"Just hold on! I've got you! Hold on . . . .!"

Alex's hand slipped out of Scott's grasp.

"NO!"

Alex fell down into the forest, his eyes wide and his mouth open. Within a second, he was gone, his body lost in the sea of trees.


	12. Severance

Earth-717: X-Men Vol 2

Chapter 12: Severance

"User alert! Catastrophic system failure! Internal damage beyond repair. Evacuate immediately."

His mouth agape and his knees on the floor, Scott stared down at the forest below him. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as the noise of the loudspeaker voice and explosions faded into his subconscious. Smoke floated past him and into the sky, but he barely noticed. All that he could think about was losing his grip on Alex's hand, and the image of him falling out of view played over and over in his mind.

"Scott!"

He didn't even respond to Jean calling his name. Closing his eyes and turning his head away, he did all he could to block out everything and return to that image; the last moment he would ever see his brother.

"SCOTT!"

Scott's eyes jerked open upon feeling Jean's hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her. She had multiple bruises on her forehead and neck.

"We're getting outta here."

"Jean . . . . I . . . ."

"No time!"

Jean reached down with both arms, wrapping her elbows under Scott's shoulders. Blinking twice, she then lifted off the ground and flew out of the large laceration in the hull. Soaring away from the falling ship, she headed for the X-Jet, which was not far behind.

In the moments that followed, Sinister's vessel, with fire and smoke pouring out of several points, continued to descend. In less than a minute, it struck the ground, instantly igniting hundreds of trees, before effectively vanishing in a gargantuan explosion that vaporized most of the matter in its area of effect. As the X-Jet activated its booster jets and flew out of sight, the Genesis Camp also exploded, incinerating everything within a hundred metre radius.

* * *

With green slime dripping from the fingers of his right hand, Sinister trudged along the river bank, his hand firmly entrenched in his innards from the gash in his left side. Violently coughing, he fell to his knees, with more green, glowing fluid spewing from his mouth and onto the rocks. He looked behind him to see the forest fire raging in the distance.

Groaning, he reached into one of his pockets with his free hand, pulling out a small, silver disc. Tapping the button on it, it beeped for a few seconds before opening and emitting a quarter-metre tall blue hologram. The hologram was of Madame Hydra. She was scowling, and had her arms folded.

"Madame . . . ."

"Don't even start, Sinister."

"Please . . . . listen," begged Sinister. "Everything's gone to hell. I need . . . . evacuation. I need protection."

Madame Hydra scoffed.

"I've already received a full report from Captain Laura Brown. She told me about the destruction of the Genesis Camp."

Sinister growled.

"She activated the self-destruct sequence!"

"Because of your incompetence! You promised me a puppet President, and instead, you got nearly an entire contingent killed, and possibly exposed Hydra's operations . . . . my operations, in the States. Kelly is dead. The MRD is dead. This is over."

"Wait, that's not . . . ."

"Pray we never meet again, Herr Doctor. Because if we do, it will not end well for you."

The hologram dissipated. Sinister winced before coughing again. Breathing laboriously, he stuffed the disc back in his pocket before continuing to limp onwards.

* * *

His arms folded over his chest, Scott looked away from Xavier. He was in the foyer of the mansion, facing the door. Xavier was looking at Scott's back, with Moira, Hank, Bobby, Jean and Piotr all standing with him.

"Scott, please . . . ." started Jean.

"So . . . . Professor . . . ."

Scott turned his head slightly, but did not face Xavier.

"Why don't you tell everyone what I learned from Sinister?"

Xavier swallowed and closed his eyes, his muscles tensing.

"Scott . . . ."

"Tell them! Or I will."

Xavier looked down, a frown growing on his face. Scott scoffed before turning around.

"Fine."

"What are you talking about, Scott?" asked Moira. "What did you learn?"

"And what's it have to do with the Prof?" asked Bobby, cracking a feigned smile.

Scott sneered before speaking.

"I had a discussion with Mister Sinister aboard his ship. Aside from learning that all this time, the Sapphire Weapon was my brother Alex, who I thought was dead . . . . I heard that he was not the first person whom Sinister had turned into a Weapon. I was."

"What?"

"Hank was there. So was Jean. They heard it all. I was under Sinister's control, and that's what caused me to have the outburst at the orphanage. The reason I didn't remember . . . . is because the Professor wiped it from my memory."

Moira, Bobby and Piotr all looked at Xavier. Moira's facial muscles quivered.

"Charles . . . . is, is it true? T-Tell me it's not true."

Xavier sighed. Bobby and Piotr looked at each other in shock.

"I was there," said Hank. "I heard everything. Sinister may be our enemy, but I could sense he was speaking the truth."

"No, no, no, it can't be," stammered Bobby. "He wouldn't do that. Professor . . . . you wouldn't do that. Right?"

His eyes closed, Xavier shook his head. Scott scowled at him.

"Tell them, Professor. Tell them all how you managed to recruit me. How you lied to everyone here. Tell them!"

Xavier looked up at Scott, his eyes wide and soaked in anguish.

"I did it."

For two minutes, everyone in the room was silent. Xavier looked back down at the floor. Bobby paced back and forth, looking around in confusion. Jean looked away from everyone. Scott stared directly at Xavier, never letting go of his gaze for a second.

"Why, Charles?"

Xavier looked up at Moira, before turning back to Scott.

"Because I was afraid that Sinister's conditioning would have permanent and damaging effects," answered Xavier. "I had no idea what I was encountering when I met you. When I entered your mind to try and relax you back in the cell, I saw all of these images imprinted . . . . burned . . . . onto your subconscious."

Scott's nostrils flared and his teeth gritted as Xavier continued to explain.

"I . . . . I didn't know how far Sinister's reach went. I didn't know if he potentially still had some remnants of control. I didn't know if you were going to collapse into a psychological coma from which you couldn't be salvaged. Scott, you have to understand, this was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I was worried for your safety. I thought that if . . . ."

"YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" shouted Scott, stepping forward, his visor flaring up with red energy. Jean felt tears well in her eyelids.

"For twelve years of my life, I thought my brother dead. I knew he was dead. Last night, for half an hour, he was alive again. Then I watched him die a second time. BECAUSE OF YOU! You stole my memories . . . . memories that could have saved his life! That is what you took from me!"

Scott stood back, shaking his head.

"You couldn't even trust me with my own past."

"I feared you wouldn't be able to cope with it, Scott," said Xavier, solemnly. "It appears I was correct."

The visor lit up again, with multiple streams of crimson energy flowing around it, as Scott stepped forward and reached for the button.

"NO!"

Jean placed herself in front of Xavier, holding her arms out to the side. She fired a psionic blast, just enough to knock Scott back a few steps. Once he recovered, he jerked his head forward. Jean stared at Scott as her vision became murky with her own tears.

"You . . . . you're going to protect him?! After this?!"

"The Professor saved my life," stated Jean. "He saved yours. He's saved everyone here. He's loya to everyone here. And I'm not gonna let you hurt him."

"So you're choosing him over me? Huh? That's it? That's all I get from you? After everything we've been through? Everything we shared?!"

Jean shook her head, her face steeling as her frown turned into a stern, unwavering glare.

"Just because I love you, doesn't mean I'll betray my friends for you."

Scott took a step back, before closing his hands into fists.

"Don't make me fight you," said Jean.

For a long time, Scott was silent. He looked back from Jean, who continued to shield Xavier, to everyone else standing there. They were all watching him, and all he could think about is how he could not look any of them in the eye. Eventually, Scott let his fists go.

"Fine."

Scott turned around and walked for the door. Jean lowered her arms.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from here."

"Scott, don't be ridiculous!" shouted Moira.

"Scott!" called Piotr.

"This is your home! Our home!" yelled Jean.

Scott looked over his shoulder at her.

"Not anymore."

Moira rubbed the back of her neck. Xavier continued to look at the floor. Hank frowned, keeping his eyes on Scott. Jean took a step towards her boyfriend.

"Scott, what about us? Where we were? You're just going all that away? Throw me away?"

Scott shook his head.

"I can't stay here," he said. "I'm going after Sinister on my own. I want you all to know . . . . I don't blame any of you for staying. But this . . . . this you couldn't understand. Not really. You want to come with me, that's fine. You want to stay? That's fine."

Scott stared directly at Xavier.

"But as long as he's here . . . . I won't be."

Scott exhaled as everyone was silent again. Piotr looked at everyone, his eyes wide but sad. Jean tried to open her mouth and speak, but found no words and closed it. Moira put her hands in her pocket. Xavier continued to look down. Hank put his hand on the back of Xavier's wheelchair.

Bobby's smile faded. Narrowing his eyes, he then looked at Scott before stepping out of line and walking towards him.

Jean's eyes perked up.

"Bobby!"

Bobby didn't respond, walking intently towards Scott. Standing before him, he silently nodded. Scott nodded in return.

"Okay."

Scott pushed the double doors open and walked out of sight, with Bobby following behind him. For a while after that, the remaining people in the lobby looked at each other, but did not speak.

* * *

Scott walked out the main gate of the mansion grounds, the ends of his coat drifting with the wind. Bobby stepped up beside him, and the two stood on the sidewalk.

"So what do we do now?" asked Bobby.

Scott looked over at him.

"I saw what Sinister did," said Bobby, gesturing with his hands. "I know what he did to you. He has to be stopped . . . . but what's our plan? Where do we start?"

Scott inhaled before pulling a small item out of his pocket. He held it in front of his face. It was Moira's USB key.

"We start with this."

"Sinister's data."

"We find out as much as we can. We track leads. We get clues. And then we hunt him. We stay right on his heels, we run him down, and we don't ever stop until we back him into a corner . . . . and end him."

* * *

Xavier pressed a string of keys on his computer, opening up a video screen. On the other end, he saw the face of Storm, whose eyes lit up upon seeing him.

"Professor! How good to hear from you!"

"Hello again, Ororo."

"Please Professor, I prefer Storm."

Xavier nodded.

"How are the repairs going?"

"Quite well. We have made many improvements since you helped us. Professor, is something the matter? You seem . . . . perturbed."

Xavier sighed.

"We've lost the leader of the X-Men."

Storm raised an eyebrow.

"We need a new one."

THE END

The X-Men Will Return

* * *

Epilogue

Trask grinned as he watched a woman in a heavily posh outfit walk into the room. She had a long, slender black dress, with a heavily patterned golden and silver necklace. Her red hair was in a fancy updo, and her hands were covered in leather gloves matching the rest of her garb. The most striking thing about her were her bright, emerald eyes.

"Ms. Pryor," said Trask. "Welcome."

Madelyne nodded, with a slight smile.

"I certainly hope you have something good for me, Bolivar. I have a heavier schedule as of late."

"Trust me, my lady, it is most worthy of your time."

Trask turned around, facing the main section of his lab. Pulling a switch down on his control panel, lights filled up the room, revealing a massive, purple, synthetic humanoid sitting on a chair. It was twenty metres tall, and had feminine features. Two red eyes adorned its face.

Madelyne's eyes lit up upon seeing it.

"Exquisite."

Trask pressed a button on his console and spoke.

"Master Mold. Activate."

Master Mold's eyes lit up. It spoke with a monotone, female voice.

"I am Master Mold. I am online. I am humanity's saviour."

Madelyne smiled ear to ear.

"I am the end of mutantkind."


End file.
